You may or may not have heard of spunky social sharing app called SnapChat that’s popular among teens. It’s picture chatting with a twist . . . whom ever you send a photo to, can only see the picture for literally 10 seconds or less. Then *poof* it’s gone. Or is it?
I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to join Frank Mickens LIVE in the WFMY Newsroom to talk about SnapChat and the safety that all parents and users should be aware of.
One of the key selling points of SnapChat is that the pictures are temporary.
SnapChat is hoping to put the fun back into social sharing that has, in a few short years, had people giving their social networks the reform school treatment. It’s no secret that social sharing has begun to cost people their jobs and that every thing we share online might as well be on a flashing billboard in Times Square, which just happens to be indexed by Google and available to anyone with an internet connection.
SnapChat’s promise of self destructing pictures has millions enamored with the idea of real time picture chatting that is a bit more fun (and safer) than sending text messages. Some even say that Sexting is what’s driving SnapChat’s success.
To give you some idea how quickly this app has been embraced:
SnapChat “is now used more than 30 million times a day by millions of users. On Thanksgiving, Snapchat’s peak photo-posting rate was four times that of Instagram: Users sent 1,000 photos per second. It also currently sits at the No. 3 spot in the free category of the iTunesstore.”
Read the full article on Business Insider : http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-growth-sexting-2012-11#ixzz2EHjgaAaJ
The passionate Stanford friends that are the masterminds behind Snapchat saw a need for fun fast ways to share silly and spontaneous pictures with friends. These pictures wouldn’t stay in the mausoleum of Facebook photo albums but live briefly (one hopes) in the hands of friends and family. I can completely appreciate the need to put the fun back into sharing that has become, for some, more of a room full of carnival barkers than a place to hold real conversations, be silly or connect.
Regardless of what app or service you use to share your picture, it’s important to know what the privacy policy says as well as what your privacy settings are. As with any social sharing site we use, it is up to us to know how to use it and the risks involved with over sharing.
Sexting on Snapchat Isn’t as Safe as You Think
Learn more about SnapChat, read it’s privacy policy and leave your thoughts/comments if your tween/tween/you use it, because I’d love to hear your thoughts on it and any advice you may have for parents who need to have the “technology talk” with their children about over sharing online!
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I started a Snapchat discussion on my Facebook page “Do you (or your tween/teen) use Snapchat?” if you care to join in and share your two cents! Love the insight from the parents chiming in.
On twitter? See who else is using #Snapchat
