Snapchat: The real candid camera

Snapchat is a free social network with an emphasis on taking spontaneous pictures. I was asked to join a social networking account and document my experiences with it over a period of 6 weeks. It seemed logical then, to use the more enjoyable of my two social accounts.

The main idea of Snapchat is spontaneity and the promise that your photo or video can only last a certain amount of time before deletion. Captions can be added, a drawing tool also allows people to add whatever decoration they like, along with filters and other small images based on the person's geographical location. "Snaps" can be sent to individuals or groups of the sender's choosing, or there is the option to set a "my story" which can be seen by all of the person's friends as much as they like within 12 hours of sending it. And it seems as though this idea of photographic candor is appreciated greatly. It's estimated that as of August, 2014, that Snapchat has 100 million active users, with an approximate 400 million snaps sent every day (Abbruzzese, 2014). According to Mashable, this is why the company has been valued at 10 billion dollars US, it truly has become a juggernaut with its advertising potential. 

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A sense of power can come from the ability to completely manufacture one's identity and set it out exactly how one would like it seen, so seeing someone enjoying themselves at a party that a person was not invited to, through snaps, can in ways make the sender feel dominant, and the recipient feel subservient."Power is not a thing, it is relational... comes out of connections, relationships"(Kuttainen, 2015). This can be seen as the power between to Snapchat friends is not tangible but a sense of superiority can come from someone believing their life is more "full" than another's based on snap activity. "Power, as I understand it, is a relational effect of social interaction" (Allen, 2003).

Sources:

Unknown (2015). Retrieved from http://cdn.meme.am/instances/50178502.jpg

Kuttainen, V. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives, The Making of Place, Lecture 2: Power: The Panopticon. [Power Point Slides] Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au

Allen, J. (2003). Lost Geographies of Power.

Abbruzzese, J. (2014, August 27). Report: Snapchat Valued at $10 Billion in Latest Investment. Retrieved August 20, 2015, from http://mashable.com/2014/08/26/snapchat-10-billion-valuation/