Snapchat: Privacy Of Teenagers In Popular Social Media

Growing up we didn’t always have the phones and social media platforms we do now. We started out with phones that hung on the wall and in order to get some privacy, many times it was necessary to stretch the cord as far as possible into hopefully the next room or even in the hallway. After that we upgraded to flip phones which at that time was a super big deal. I remember getting my first flip phone when I was in just in 5th grade. Then I got a new phone again in 7th grade, but it's not like you could do much with these phones besides take low quality pictures, press the same button a certain amount of times to get the right letter, and make phone calls. There was no access to social media sites, and google back then. So when did things finally …show more content…
According to a report, 38 percent of smartphone users in the United States aged 25 to 34 are now on Snapchat, as well as 14 percent of those 35 or older (Kauffman). It is very common for adult users on social media to start making their way to sites that the younger generations are on because the same privacy features that appeal to teenagers also appeal to adults. In order for social media sites like Snapchat to compete with other popular social media platforms they must now appeal to all age crowds. Gretel Kauffman, who wrote for Christian Science Monitor quoted a 43 year old mom who said she “likes the fact that there's less pressure to look good in pictures.” This draws in more adults because not only can they set how many seconds someone sees their snap but after that the picture is gone for good. The mom also said she “finds that the app allows for a more personal connection when communicating with family and friends.” Snapchat's power to create and offer more personal ways to interact is one of its enticing elements for adult users. This generation grew up in a life where having individual discussions face to face was traditional. What also lures adults to Snapchat is that it mimics real life because after the conversation happens it vanishes and then all you're left with is the memory. Those 35 and older are also …show more content…
The more time teens spend preoccupied on this social media app, the more adults beginning to wonder not only how they are using it but also what attracts them specifically. As a teen myself there are numerous ways we use snapchat and the features it offers. It all begins on who we are sending the photo to first. If it is our best friend then we will get creative using filters, different colors, and emojis. If it happens to be someone we know but are not close with then we will just send a regular selfie or simply just a picture of things in our surroundings such as the kitchen table or the bowl of candy on the counter. A lot of teens also use the chat feature on snapchat. This feature lets us send text messages to anyone of our friends and then after it is sent and we close out of the feature it disappears unless chosen to save it. Teens are more inclined to using this feature versus mobile texting because their parents are less likely to see it if they were ever to look through their phone. As a teen we post a lot of things to our snapchat stories but why? Well simply to let everyone know what we are up to doing. Jacob Silverman who is the author of Terms of Service brings up an interesting point to this concept. He states that “ The experience must be captured...A photograph, which in the end says I was here.” The whole point of this is to let others