Buzz. That little vibration means one thing. Your Snapchat alert signals you to view an image. Before you even retrieve your phone, you smile because you were expecting it. You picture a silly image on the end, but you wait until you’re alone in the seclusion of your room to check it. It doesn’t matter if it’s too explicit; you can never be incriminated with what’s on the other end because it will only be there for a few short fleeting moments? Right? Well, maybe. You opened it in yearning suspense and as soon as you did, your eyes met with a most pleasing sight. When you went to reply, you were unable to reach the other side. It repeatedly said failed, failed. A short time later your Snapchat was logged out. At that moment you could no longer reach eachother.
The message didn’t say much, only that they had violated specific rules. Snapchat apparently has rules and strict guidelines that must be followed. They just wanted to love with intimacy, and privacy. A dream that was short lived because they were caught. In the middle of pure bliss, acid rain hailed down on them and it was over. Snapchat cut them off from their peaceful fantasy. No one could have seen it coming,that there would be repercussions. Their accounts were both deleted due to the exotic images, that both were dispatching to one another.
For a long time Snapchat has been an easy way to communicate with friends and seems like a safe way to do it. You’re able to send pictures to people, all the time knowing that it goes away in a matter of 10 seconds. This seems like a safe way to communicate and share personal information with your friends. You can easily make memories and chat with your closest friends and even get the chance to meet new ones. Just like any other social media network, it begs the question of, is it really as protected and safe as it seems? Do the pictures you send actually “go away” in a matter of 10 seconds? Just like other social media apps if need be the government, hackers, or even fellow Snap-chatters can save or access your images later; through screenshots or by other means.
Teens and other young users believe Snapchat to be a somewhat reliable source. “To me snapchat is safe, I think you secure your privacy by watching what you post,” said Freshman, Alex Romo.
The privacy appeal is what pulls them in, the fact that images can only be seen for a certain period of time might bring a sense of comfort. Even though these images leave your sight doesn’t mean they can’t still be accessed, in fact employees at Snapchat headquarters can easily pull your images. So can others outside of Snapchat. According to Carl Straumshiem’s article Temporary Messages, Lasting Impact, “unread messages are stored on Snapchat’s servers for 30 days. A handful of third-party apps, not condoned by Snapchat, allow recipients to save messages without the sender noticing.”
“The central premise of SnapChat is that what you are sending is private. That’s a lie. There is a very real risk that everything you share with any app or on any website will become public. One day, every image you post online may become associated with your name. When you post something online you give up the ability to control where that image goes.” according to Adam Mclane’s article Why You Should Delete SnapChat.
Many of us have had our privacy invaded without even being aware of it. In cases of nudities, sending them may not appear to be a problem when that “go away” in a matter of 10 seconds. Senders are aware of when the receiver screenshots, but what if they save it in other ways. This raises caution and concern. Sending inappropriate pictures over social networks or anywhere is not the best road to go down.
“It says something about your character, just because it goes away doesn’t make it alright,” said Senior, Elijah Matthews.
In the back of our minds the thought of it still being out there has to be unsettling. So do users watch what they send and post? Do they not care, or do they think what’s the worst that can happen? Not many know that Snapchat has tight community guidelines. They have a section labeled, What not to Snap, Keep it Legal: that includes the following; Pornography,Nudity or sexually suggestive;content involving minors (people under the age of 18),Minors engaged in activities that are physically dangerous and harmful,Invasions of privacy;Threats, Harassment or Bullying,Impersonation, or Self-Harm. “Please take these rules seriously and honor them in the spirit in which they are intended,” said Team Snapchat. This message is located at the bottom of their community guidelines page on Support.Snapchat.com.
Despite the unsafety of the network, its not all bad! If it were bad, it wouldn’t have over 100 million active users, as of August 26, 2014. People enjoy this app because its fun, interesting, and is somewhat intimate. You can share moments of your life, such as a place you visit in text and in images. Sophomore Ashley Biro said, “people might use it to get attention, stay in touch with people, or just share things.”
This popular social media app went from little too big in just a few years. At one point it was widely used by exotic dancers and people with only the intent to be intimate. Now millions of people use it to connect, share stories, and memories. “You can see into people’s real lives,” said an anonymous Snapchat user in the Jan 14,2015 article, “Be the Star of Your Own Snapchat Story,”published in The New York Times.