Snapchat, an app released in 2011 for iPhone and Android, is the newest local hit for sending ugly selfies, or pictures you take of yourself, to friends. The app’s ingenious design allows you to take photos and send them to other users who can only view the photo for 1-10 seconds before the photo is permanently deleted.
The app’s use for communicating with images and messages has made it a great tool for keeping up with friends and sending embarrassing photos that, allegedly, can’t be saved as blackmail.
Snapchat does not guarantee that the images cannot be saved, and the app will notify you if the recipient of your image screenshots it.
Originally created for a project by Stanford students Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, the app is now used by many high school students to send 20 million photos daily. Based on recent surveys, 13% of teenagers who frequently use the internet also send and receive images via Snapchat.
Although there are many uses for the app, it has recently become a popular way to stay in touch with friends and family who live far away.
“I use snapchat to talk with my cousin,” Tristen Collins said. “It’s always funny, and it’s a great way to keep up with them.”
Many high school students have begun to use it as a way to keep up with friends who have already graduated.
“I absolutely love it because you can take hilarious selfies and send them to your friends,” Senior Ashley Osborne said. “It’s great because the images are automatically deleted. I use it to talk to friends who have graduated because it’s so funny.”
Unlike social media sites that allow users to post pictures for multiple people to see, Snapchat directly sends the images, making the embarrassing photos completely private.
Snapchat’s privacy and direct messaging has made it a must for sending images to friends.  It’s an awesome app. Go get it. Now.