CS 371 - Blog Post #2 - Teagan Haggerty

     This week in CS 371, we looked at several graphs regarding the usage of various social media graphs, which show the increase or decrease in the usage of social media platforms that teenagers use. Snapchat is a platform I would like to discuss which caught my attention as it has rapidly increased over the course of seven years provided in the graph. The focus group of teens ages 13-17, which I remember when I was in my earlier teen years, my parents did not allow me to get Snapchat. The primary purpose of the app was to send photos that were only allowed to be viewed once, allowing members to have a larger sense of privacy, but over the years, screenshots, snap maps, and fake accounts have rapidly increased, meaning Snapchat, along with other social media platforms have risks and dangers that comes with the app. In relation to class content, Snapchat combines the two temporalities, synchronous and asynchronous. In terms of synchronous, Snapchat's primary purpose is to heighten face-to-face communication through chats and video calls. Snapchat is asynchronous in terms of having the ability to open and respond to chat whenever you want, but Snapchat streaks force people to use this social media platform daily. Do you think that 'streaks' act as social pressure and is what allowed Snapchat to increase so rapidly over the years as people want to stay in touch with friends and achieve a high steak? 


Comments

  1. Hi Teagan,

    Great post! I got Snapchat just before grade 9 and ever since I use it every day. Throughout the years the app has changed so much. As you mentioned all the new added features such as snap maps. You can now even save snaps in chat therefore the main purpose of Snapchat where pictures would just disappear has changed. I love your point on how streaks force people to Snapchat every day because it is so true. It does act as social pressure because keeping streaks is how a lot of people stay in touch with old friends or people from high school. It becomes normal and a part of a routine to go on Snap every day to talk to people.

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  2. Hey Teagan,
    It's interesting how an app that revolves around sending selfies at least once a day to continue your streak has gone up in usage. I have had Snapchat since 2013 and was one of the first people my age with the app. At one point, I had over fifty streaks, and it was a large consumption of my time to try and keep up to remember to Snapchat everyone. I'm not too fond of the addition of snapmaps, as it makes me feel uncomfortable with the thought of others being able to stalk my location. Nowadays, when people first meet someone new, you often ask for their Snapchat rather than their phone numbers as a way to communicate. I believe that if streak were taken away on Snapchat, people would use the app less often. It could then be used to communicate with others by sending a photo when something funny happens rather than sending selfies multiple times a day. Therefore, streaks are one of the main reasons why Snapchat has increased over the years. Great post!

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