In 2011, Snapchat exploded onto the social media market, and it’s been a staple ever since. Still, the pictures you post disappear. This may leave you wondering why people use Snapchat.
If you’re new to the app and are wondering why it’s so popular, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s take a look at why people use Snapchat and what makes it so popular.
Why Do People Use Snapchat?
1. Pictures Aren’t Forever
We’ve all heard the saying, “once something’s on the internet, it’s there forever.” However, that’s not the case with Snapchat.
A key selling point of the Snapchat app is that pictures disappear. You post a picture with a timer, and as soon as the timer runs out, the picture disappears.
This may seem unnecessary, but it comes in handy quite often. So, if you’re not sure you want to keep a picture on your profile page forever, snap it.
You still have a copy of the picture, but people won’t be able to view it without your permission.
2. Simple Interface
Another great aspect of Snapchat is its user interface. Out of all social media platforms, Snapchat has one of the simplest interfaces.
There are only a few buttons that you use to interact with the app. Still, there’s an endless number of ways to customize your pictures.
For example, you can add emojis, text, drawings, and even filters. All of this is done using only a couple of buttons on the screen.
Moreover, the app displays your pictures on full-screen, so you can edit the entire image. You don’t even have to worry about your status bar getting in the way.
3. Substitute For Camera App
Most of the time when we take pictures, we’re trying to capture a memory. However, there are times when we want to take a picture to share with friends or family.
With Snapchat, you can do both. Once you take a picture, you can choose to download it to your device or simply send it to someone else.
Some other social media platforms can also do this, but Snapchat is the most streamlined.
When you open the app, you go straight to the camera screen. You don’t have to navigate through the app to take a picture.
4. Amazing Filters
We can’t talk about Snapchat without mentioning the app’s amazing filters.
For many people, filters are an essential part of any image app. These people use filters to touch up or add an extra flair to their photos.
Snapchat makes adding filters to your pictures incredibly easy. You can add all sorts of effects to your pictures with a few button clicks.
These effects include:
- Color alterations
- Geofilters
- Speed modifications
These effects can also be layered and combined, giving you a new result with every addition. You can even create your own filters or customize existing ones.
5. Increased Privacy
Not only do the pictures disappear after a set time, but you can also choose who sees them.
Most social media apps will have some sort of rule about who can see your content. For many, this translates to only your approved friend list seeing your feed.
However, with Snapchat, the process is a little different. Instead of sharing pictures to a feed, you share them with individuals.
When you snap a photo, you select who you want to send the photo to one by one. So, you decide who sees your photos and for how long. This makes keeping your private pictures safe much easier.
6. My Story
If you find selecting people off a list one by one tedious, you have the option of My Story.
My Story was a later addition to the Snapchat app. This feature allows you to post content to a feed that your friends can all view.
Your feed will be a collection of your pictures in chronological order. Anyone on your approved friend list can see it at any time. This feature also allows you to watch other people’s stories.
With this feature, you can send a photo privately or share it with everyone.
7. Track Your Views
A spectacular feature of Snapchat is that you can track who views your content.
After you post a story, you can go to your friend’s list to find out who has seen it. Next to each friend, a few different icons will appear.
There’s an icon to show you that the friend has viewed the story. Another icon shows you how many times they replayed it.
You can even see if any of your friends have taken a screenshot of the story.
With these little icons, it becomes incredibly simple to keep track of your audience.
8. Illuminated Front Facing Shots
One of the most important aspects of taking a picture is lighting. Finding the perfect light can make or break your photo.
This isn’t much of an issue with your phone’s main camera, since it comes with its own flash. However, this isn’t the case with your front camera.
Well, Snapchat’s solution for this is the front-facing flash feature. If you turn this feature on, your screen will flash a bright white when you snap a picture.
This means you no longer have to run around looking for the perfect lighting.
9. Stay Connected
A picture is worth a thousand words. This has never been more true than with Snapchat.
Most of the communication on the app is done through images. You can send your friends an image and they can send you one back.
There’s also a text function. This means you can take an interesting picture, add a filter, and have a conversation about it all in one place.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why people use WhatsApp, why 4chan is so toxic, and why Facebook keeps logging you out.
Conclusion
There are many reasons why people use Snapchat. Not only does it have a disappearing image option, but you can also post to My Story.
Moreover, the app allows you to use many amazing filters and helps you stay connected to your friends. You can also choose who views your content and for how long.