First appearing on the market in 2011 Snapchat is a picture-messaging app for Android and iOS devices. Using a vast array of filters, stickers, animations and in-app tools, users have the power to create, customize, and share engaging images. Developers extended the range of functions in 2012, giving users the option to record short video clips, which, like photos can now be edited with a constantly updated selection of fun Snapchat filters. Launched in 2015, these filters, or lenses, are among the app’s most popular features. They allow users to overlay light-hearted and colorful animations over their own faces.
Snapchat’s key selling point is the fact that all content automatically deletes itself after a given period of time. Compared to other picture-messaging apps, this makes exchanges more like face-to-face conversations. Furthermore, the limited period of visibility means that the contents of the messages often differ to other messengers. This type of communication is particularly popular among teenagers, but the app is also prevalent among users in their 20s and 30s. But especially compared to other messaging services, Snapchat primarily appeals to a younger audience. Snapchat’s enduring success also received attention from the developers of Facebook, who offered $3 billion to procure the app, although this offer was subsequently rejected.
In 2013, Snapchat launched their now famous ‘My Story’ feature. With this feature, users can create a series of several photos and videos, effectively telling a story, or in other words - making a short film or home movie. Characterized by their fast-paced nature, each piece of content in a Snapchat story feature is viewable for 24 hours before they are automatically deleted. A Snapchat story is therefore semi-public; in most cases, the story can only be seen by the user’s followers, but some channels allow access to all Snapchat users. One year later, the Live Story function was added, allowing users to record and watch stories in real time.
Another recent feature was the introduction of an instant messaging feature that allows users to communicate with each other directly in the app. Of course, as with everything else, these messages are also deleted after a given period. The app also supports phone calls andvideo calls between two users. All these new features simply show that Snapchat is steadily embracing more universal features in order to become an all-encompassing messaging app. The new features are designed to reduce users’ usage of other apps (such as WhatsApp or Facebook messenger) and encourage them to use Snapchat to communicate with their friends on a daily basis. This way, Snapchat can corner a greater share in the instant messaging market.