The flow of communication in the modern day world can now be reduced to symbols, acronyms, and “emoticons” to convey a message many people can understand.
As of September 2011, it has been reduced yet another level lower.
Snapchat, while not widely known by the world yet, is a growing form of communicating with others via smart phones. However, it is literally only pictures being sent and received to illustrate the message.
Snapchat involves users taking photos and sending them to their friends or colleagues. These photos can last up to 10 seconds and then they disappear from your phone’s memory, motivating you to keep sending replies back and forth between 2 or more people.
Snapchat’s “Ghost” Icon
It is especially popular with teenagers ages 13-18.
While this app seems like a fun way for kids to take “selfies,” or self portraits and show their friends silly faces and poses, a concern has been brought up by parents that these may be used for “sexting,” sending provocative photos of oneself to someone else.
Most iPhone know that the phone has the ability to take screen shots, that is, capture in entirety whatever image is on the screen.
Parents are concerned that with up to 10 seconds to see the photo, people could easily save the picture in a screen shot, thus saving a possible provocative picture.
“The minute you tell someone that images on your server disappear, everyone jumps to sexting.”
– Evan Spiegel, Co-founder
His argument is that by taking away the photos forever, it encourages users to keep sending more.
“I’m not convinced that the whole sexting thing is as big as the media makes it out to be,” he said. “I just don’t know people who do that. It doesn’t seem that fun when you can have real sex.”
He did not comment on the idea of saving the photo from a screen shot, however.
So, it comes up to the people to decide what is and what is not appropriate and parents can only hope that their children are abiding by moral values and that Snapchat is nothing more than a fun new way to text your buddy about your new haircut.
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