I Can See You!

I Can See You!

Snapchat is a common virtual world created by Evan Spiegel at the tender age of 23 (snapchat was originally created as picaboo) as a ‘social media platform that allows the user to send images, videos and text with a specified period of time before the message permanently deletes itself and is inaccessible to the receiver’ as quoted in the hyper-link that will provide you with all the necessary information needed to know about snapchat and how it is not an app to be used for privacy – but rather more intimacy. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216303041

Snapchat and its power over its users

The snapchat committee is the main source of power when it comes to the app; as it has the power to both allow people to use the app, create an account on the app, and to delete/deactivate the account; thus giving the committee/workers for snapchat the ultimate power over all. Though those that come close to gaining power in the virtual world of snapchat would have to be the ones who publicly display themselves online in a sexual manner for all to see, or those who travel the world and have had plenty to see and wish to share those sights with the world. It is a well known fact, and an unspoken one, that snapchat is mainly used for sexual/explicit messages – sometimes pictures – and the reason; through assumption, is that the user feels a little rebellious and somewhat safe, knowing that they can send the desired sexual messages to the/a receiver/s and the picture still yet be deleted after a certain period of time, never to be accessed again. 

This is what I believe gives people the idea of the secretive fact that snapchat will be used for – on most purposes – sexual reasons. Users of snapchat falsely believe that they are safe, and as are their conversations/messages from the world and anyone else besides the intended receiver. The only problem with this is that it is all in vain, as pictures, if desired badly enough; can be screenshotted by the receiver and the sender can do nothing about this – except know the picture/message they sent desiring it to be a secret, can be kept for another purpose/hidden desire of the receiver, and could possibly be shared around publicly.

Once again the snapchat committee would outdo this power, as they see ALL the pictures and messages that go through snapchat filters. ALL of them. Every sexual, intimate, private and sometimes ‘deep and meaningful’ message that has been sent, that you included have sent through online, goes through the snapchat committee so they can review and process the picture/message and make sure that it is following their rules/guidelines and breaking no rules. They claim privacy, when in reality your account and every move is tracked, watched and possibly stored in a huge computer for reasons unknown. There is no privacy on snapchat, only the false sense there is. Snapchat has power over its users as they wish to gain more followers/users (obviously) by giving them the fake sense of freedom and privacy – which most users (who happen to be teenagers) use to their advantage to send explicit messages. Snapchat overuses its power and has been lying to its users this whole time. 

References

Ford, J. (2016, 3 15). The Power of Snapchat as a Marketing Tool. Retrieved 8 18, 2017, from Glance Marketing: http://glancemarketing.com/the-power-of-snapchat-as-a-marketing-tool/

Vaterlaus, M. J., Barnett, K., Roche, C., & Young, J. A. (2016, 8 18). Snapchat Is More Personal. Retrieved 08 18, 2017, from ScienceDirect: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216303041