Snapchat

Snapchat is a multimedia messaging app used globally, created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown,[7]  former students at Stanford University, and developed by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_Inc. Snap Inc.], originally Snapchat Inc.

One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before they become inaccessible to their recipients. The app has evolved from originally focusing on person-to-person photo sharing to presently featuring users' "Stories" of 24 hours of chronological content, along with "Discover", letting brands show ad-supported short-form content. It also allows users to keep photos in the "my eyes only" which lets them keep their photos in a password protected space.

Snapchat has become known for representing a new, mobile-first direction for social media, and places significant emphasis on users interacting with virtual stickers and augmented reality objects. As of October 2019, Snapchat has 210 million daily active users.[8] [9]  Snapchat is known to be popular among the younger generations, particularly those below the age of 16, leading to many privacy concerns for parents.



World map indicating Snapchat's core users by country in 2014. Map based on data from a report from Business Insider Intelligence.[20]

As of May 2012, 25 Snapchat images were being sent per second[21]  and, as of November 2012, users had shared over one billion photos on the Snapchat iOS app, with 20 million photos being shared per day.[21] [22]  That same month, Spiegel cited problems with user base scalability as the reason why Snapchat was experiencing some difficulties delivering its images, known as "snaps", in real time.[21]  Snapchat was released as an Android app on October 29, 2012.[21]

In June 2013, Snapchat version 5.0, dubbed "Banquo", was released for iOS. The updated version introduced several speed and design enhancements, including swipe navigation, double-tap to reply, an improved friend finder, and in-app profiles.[23]  The name is a reference to the ghostly hero from Shakespeare's Macbeth, a character in the play who is ultimately seen to be victorious over evil.[24]  Also in June 2013, Snapchat introduced Snapkidz for users under 13 years of age. Snapkidz was part of the original Snapchat application and was activated when the user provided a date of birth to verify his/her age. Snapkidz allowed children to take snaps and draw on them, but they could not send snaps to other users and could only save snaps locally on the device being used.[25]

According to Snapchat's published statistics, as of May 2015, the app's users were sending 2 billion videos per day, reaching 6 billion by November.[26]  By 2016, Snapchat had hit 10 billion daily video views.[27]  In May 2016, Snapchat raised $1.81 billion in equity offering, suggesting strong investor interest in the company.[28]  By May 31, 2016, the app had almost 10 million daily active users in the United Kingdom.[29]  In February 2017, Snapchat had 160 million daily active users,<sup id="cite_ref-30">[30] <sup id="cite_ref-31">[31]  growing to 166 million in May.<sup id="cite_ref-32">[32] <sup id="cite_ref-33">[33]



Snapchat Spectacles Vending Machine at SXSW 2017, Austin, Texas

In September 2016, Snapchat Inc. was renamed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_Inc. Snap Inc.] to coincide with the introduction of the company's first hardware product, Spectacles— smartglasses with a built-in camera that can record 10 seconds of video at a time.<sup id="cite_ref-34">[34]  On February 20, 2017, Spectacles became available for purchase online.<sup id="cite_ref-35">[35]  Snapchat was announced to be the 5th most downloaded mobile app of the decade, from 2011 to 2019.<sup id="cite_ref-36">[36]

Core functionality
Snapchat is primarily used for creating multimedia messages referred to as "snaps"; snaps can consist of a photo or a short video, and can be edited to include filters and effects, text captions, and drawings.<sup id="cite_ref-pocketlint-7tips_37-0">[37] <sup id="cite_ref-38">[38]  Snaps can be directed privately to selected contacts, or to a semi-public "Story" or a public "Story" called "Our Story".<sup id="cite_ref-tc-stories_39-0">[39]  The ability to send video snaps was added as a feature option in December 2012. By holding down on the photo button while inside the app, a video of up to ten seconds in length can be captured. Spiegel explained that this process allowed the video data to be compressed into the size of a photo.<sup id="cite_ref-40">[40]  A later update allowed the ability to record indefinitely, but are still segmented into 10 second intervals. After a single viewing, the video disappears by default. On May 1, 2014, the ability to communicate via video chat was added. Direct messaging features were also included in the update, allowing users to send ephemeral text messages to friends and family while saving any needed information by clicking on it.<sup id="cite_ref-verge-snapchatchat_41-0">[41] <sup id="cite_ref-42">[42]  According to CIO, Snapchat uses real-time marketing concepts and temporality to make the app appealing to users.<sup id="cite_ref-43">[43]  According to Marketing Pro, Snapchat attracts interest and potential customers by combining the AIDA (marketing) model with modern digital technology.<sup id="cite_ref-44">[44]

Private message photo snaps can be viewed for a user-specified length of time (1 to 10 seconds as determined by the sender) before they become inaccessible. Users were previously required to hold down on the screen in order to view a snap; this behavior was removed in July 2015<sup id="cite_ref-verge-nomoreholding_45-0">[45]  The requirement to hold on the screen was intended to frustrate the ability to take screenshots of snaps; the Snapchat app does not prevent screenshots from being taken but can notify the sender if it detects that it has been saved. However, these notifications can be bypassed through either unauthorized modifications to the app or by obtaining the image through external means.<sup id="cite_ref-Forbes,_touch_13-2">[13] <sup id="cite_ref-TC,_billion_snaps_21-4">[21] <sup id="cite_ref-All_Things,_text_overlay_46-0">[46]  One snap per day can be replayed for free.<sup id="cite_ref-wired-replay_47-0">[47]  In September 2015, Snapchat introduced the option to purchase additional replays through in-app purchases.<sup id="cite_ref-48">[48] <sup id="cite_ref-wired-replay_47-1">[47] <sup id="cite_ref-49">[49]  The ability to purchase extra replays was removed in April 2016.<sup id="cite_ref-50">[50] <sup id="cite_ref-51">[51]

Friends can be added via usernames and phone contacts, using customizable "Snapcodes", or through the "Add Nearby" function, which scans for users near their location who are also in the Add Nearby menu.<sup id="cite_ref-verge-nomoreholding_45-1">[45] <sup id="cite_ref-whatshouldmarketers_52-0">[52]  Spiegel explained that Snapchat is intended to counteract the trend of users being compelled to manage an idealized online identity of themselves, which he says has "taken all of the fun out of communicating".<sup id="cite_ref-Forbes,_touch_13-3">[13]

In November 2014, Snapchat introduced "Snapcash", a feature that lets users send and receive money to each other through private messaging. The payments system is powered by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square,_Inc. Square].<sup id="cite_ref-53">[53] <sup id="cite_ref-54">[54]

In July 2016, Snapchat introduced a new, optional feature known as "Memories". Memories allows snaps and story posts to be saved into a private storage area, where they can be viewed alongside other photos stored on the device, as well as edited and published as snaps, story posts, or messages. When shared to a user's current story, the memory would have a white frame and timestamp to indicate its age. Content in the Memories storage area can be searched by date or using a local object recognition system. Snaps accessible within Memories can additionally be placed into a "My Eyes Only" area that is locked with a Personal identification number (PIN). Snapchat has stated that the Memories feature was inspired by the practice of manually scrolling through photos on a phone to show them to others.<sup id="cite_ref-55">[55]  In April 2017, the white border around old memories was removed. While originally intended to let viewers know the material was old, TechCrunch wrote that the indicator "ended up annoying users who didn’t want their snaps altered, sometimes to the point where they would decide not to share the old content at all".<sup id="cite_ref-56">[56] <sup id="cite_ref-57">[57]

In May 2017, an update made it possible to send snaps with unlimited viewing time,<sup id="cite_ref-58">[58]  dropping the previous ten-second maximum duration, with the content disappearing after being deliberately closed by the recipient. New creative tools, namely the ability to draw with an emoji, videos that play in a loop, and an eraser that lets users remove objects in a photo with the app filling in the space with the background, were also released.<sup id="cite_ref-59">[59] <sup id="cite_ref-60">[60]

In June 2017, Snapchat started allowing users to add links to snaps, enabling them to direct viewers to specific websites; the feature was only available for brands previously. Additionally, the update added more creative tools: A "Backdrop" feature lets users cut out a specific object from their photo and apply colorful patterns to it in order to bring greater emphasis to that object, and "Voice Filters" enable users to remix the sounds of their voices in the snap. Voice Filters was previously available as part of the feature enabling augmented reality lenses, with the new update adding a dedicated speaker icon to remix the audio in any snap.<sup id="cite_ref-61">[61] <sup id="cite_ref-62">[62]

Filters, lenses, and stickers
Snaps can be personalized with various forms of visual effects and stickers. Geofilters are graphical overlays available if the user is within a certain geographical location, such as a city, event, or destination.<sup id="cite_ref-tc-sponsoredfilters_63-0">[63] <sup id="cite_ref-64">[64]  A similar feature known as Geostickers was launched in 10 major cities in 2016.<sup id="cite_ref-65">[65]  Bitmoji are stickers featuring personalized cartoon avatars, which can be used in snaps and messaging.<sup id="cite_ref-gandm-bitstripsacquired_66-0">[66] <sup id="cite_ref-67">[67]  Bitmoji characters can also be used as World Lenses.<sup id="cite_ref-68">[68]

The "Lens" feature, introduced in September 2015, allows users to add real-time effects into their snaps by using face detection technology. This is activated by long-pressing on a face within the viewfinder.<sup id="cite_ref-69">[69]  In April 2017, Snapchat extended this feature into "World Lenses", which use augmented reality technology to integrate 3D rendered elements (such as objects and animated characters) into scenes; these elements are placed and anchored in 3D space.<sup id="cite_ref-70">[70] <sup id="cite_ref-71">[71]

On October 26, 2018, at TwitchCon, Snap launched the Snap Camera desktop application for macOS and Windows PCs, which enables use of Snapchat lenses in video chat and live streaming services such as Skype, Twitch, YouTube, and Zoom. Snapchat also launched integration with Twitch, including an in-stream widget for Snapcodes, the ability to offer lenses to stream viewers and as an incentive to channel subscribers. Several video game-themed lenses were also launched at this time, including ones themed around League of Legends, Overwatch, and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.<sup id="cite_ref-72">[72] <sup id="cite_ref-73">[73]