In September of 2011, the world experienced one of the most revolutionizing social media platforms that would change the way we captured moments...forever.
No, it wasn’t Instagram and its many filters (shout out to Valencia). It wasn’t Facebook and its selection of perfect profile pictures. And it certainly wasn’t Twitter and its blue little bird. Instead, it was the glorious release of Snapchat and its video and selfie-taking capabilities.
Created five years ago by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown, Snapchat is now taking the social media world by storm with a maximum of 10 seconds per snap, and has been especially popular while in the hands of millennials.
With over 100 million daily active users, 400 million+ snaps sent per dayandan average of 30 minutes of in-app time each 24 hours, it’s hard to argue that Snapchat hasn’t made its mark on the realm of social media.
And according to Martin-Wilbourn Partners, an accountability based marketing agency, “Snapchat is now the third most popular social app among millennials, with a 32.9% penetration on the demographic’s mobile phones.”
To make it even more impressive, out of 50 college students surveyed by yours truly, 43 have Snapchat currently downloaded on their phones and use it almost everyday to a couple of times a day.
One of the 50 respondents was Hannah Holliday, college junior as well as devoted Snapchat user. When asked about this social media app and her favorite features, she said, “I enjoy having some of my favorite publications like Cosmo, the Refinery, and Vice all at hand so that I can read their new content quickly! Also, I like being able to share cool things and places with my friends in a quicker medium then sending pictures through text message!”
Avery Tingley, another GenY gal herself, stated that she loved the geotags and Snapchat's messaging capabilities. "I like that you can have a conversation with someone but be able to show emotion because emotion is hard to communicate through texts," Tingley said.
While many agree with Tingley and Holliday that Snapchat is a fun way of communicating, it has completely revolutionized the way GenY behaves in public (and even private) settings. Every experience is now documented by a smartphone as users look to their handheld devices to record and then re-watch a moment unfold.
Companies even gain revenue by using this innovative application as a way to market their brand and ultimately influence their consumers. As stated in Adweek, brands are currently charged $750,000 per day to advertise on this medium.
So with an application that is used daily to capture moments, target core demographics, and communicate via photos while also staying up-to-date with the latest news, it’s no wonder Snapchat is transforming Generation Y’s behavior as well as their overall experience of life itself.
From filters to geotags, selfies to emojis, stories to trophies, Snapchat is renowned for shaping the way 20-something-year-olds communicate with one another and socially interact. Whether it’s snapping a quick pic of delicious sushi or having a 300 second Snap Story of the banging concert from the night before, nothing goes unrecorded.
So why do millennials love this application so much? Why has it changed the way Generation Y thinks?
To start, many obsess over its features and can’t get enough of the updates. From the filters that contort their heads into pear shapes one day and leave them without a nose the next, and the variety of ways to chat with a friend, Snapchat allows millennials to feel connected as they share their experiences in a really fun way. No matter if these moments are average (snapping a picture of you on hour 9 of your Netflix binge) or extraordinary (posting to your story the amazing view you’re witnessing while studying abroad), these moments are captured and shared nonetheless.
Ultimately, Snapchat assures Geneartion Y’s connection with the world while also acting as a revolutionary form of communication. Within just ten seconds, any user can express emotion, share a story, creatively communicate, save a memory, and reveal what he or she is doing at that exact moment.
So thank you, Snapchat. Thank you for keeping us updated, included and overall connected. The world hasn’t been the same since you’ve been created.
Oh, and thank you for the dog filter. That’s definitely everyone’s go-to when having a bad hair day.
