A fairly new app that I use on a daily basis is Snapchat. At first the concept of communicating with only with pictures was a little but odd, but the idea became extremely popular very quickly. The application allows users to take photos, record videos, add text and drawings and send them to a controlled list of recipients. The sender can also regulate the amount of time a recipient can view the “snap” before the content is deleted. Users can also view Snapchat stories, or a group of snapchats played as a video for a predetermined amount of seconds. The app has evolved since its conception in 2011 and both positive and negative features have been added since then, which I will be reviewing.
The general idea of the Snapchat app is great. The “selfie” has been increasing in popularity among all ages, not just the millennials, and people were already sending pictures of themselves via text messages pre-Snapchat. By introducing an app where an infinite amount of selfies could be sent to an infinite amount of people in a day, Snapchat made sending pictures much easier. To become the app of choice to send selfies, it was crucial that a text feature was added. It has become normal to hold entire conversations via Snapchat. I think a drawback of conversing over Snapchat is the character limit put in place. Users are only permitted to enter as much text in the horizontal space the screen can hold. In fact, people have gone great lengths to attempt to increase the amount of text allowed in a Snapchat by using the voice-recording feature on smartphones. This alone should signal to Snapchat that they are not accommodating the users wants.
Another feature of Snapchat is the drawing tool. The drawing tool offers a colorful selection and enables people to use their imaginations with their finger as a paintbrush. This feature has enabled users to draw simple things like arrows and faces, but has inspired some extremely creative works as well. However, as much as this feature has been used for creative purposes, people often use it to continue their sentences due to the character limit. Snapchat has updated the app and since created a messaging feature through the app itself. In my opinion, this feature has been adopted as well as Snapchat may have wished. Many users see no difference in messaging through the app or texting on their mobile devices. Even though users have signaled a need for more text, this addition is not exactly what the user wanted. To satisfy the users, I would like to see the amount of text allowed on a snap to be extended to two lines across the screen.
An aspect of Snapchat that has become increasingly popular is the Snapchat story. Like mentioned above, users can combine a sequence of snaps to display to their friends for 24 hours. This has increased the ability for individuals to share their content. Instead of personally selecting every friend, a user can simply select the “My Story” button, and that content appears for their friends to watch instantly. Social Media is currently thriving and by allowing people to have continuous content, this app has become another source of social media.
As popular as Snapchat has become, there is room for improvement. I think that a group Snapchat message would be very beneficial. If someone wants to send a snap to a number of people, they have to scroll through all of their friends and individually select each one. Users should be able to create groups and select only one folder and send to as many people as they desire. For example, many people in my family have Snapchat and instead of going down my long list of friends, I would like to be able to add them to a folder entitled “Family” and simply select the folder and know which individuals the snap will go to. I think many individuals would utilize this feature and I am surprised that Snapchat has not made an update with this addition.
Overall, Snapchat is a new phenomenon that matches societies wants in an app. With selfies booming popularity and constant communication a must, Snapchat has had perfect timing. The app is always updating and I am interested in seeing what features are added and what new ideas come about.