Factors of Social Media

Social media plays a significant role in today's world. The innovation of Snapchat allows users to chat with their friends by sending pictures or messages. Users can also look at Live Stories being posted from all over the world as well as catching up on the news under the 'Discover' section of the app. Snapchat allows users to "experience the world in new ways, every day".

Snapchat created a communication channel that allows people to send pictures or messages that disappear after they are seen or read. When sending photos to another person as a method of communication users can add a filter by tapping on their face, switch faces with their friends, or have the ability to play a game. Once the picture is taken stickers or drawings can be added.

The passage of time has escalated Snapchat's popularity. The ability to send a picture and later a message and have it only last a short period of time is a function that has made the app in high demand. Even with the pictures disappearing people could still screenshot them. In 2011 Snapchat released an update that alerted people if another user took a screenshot of messages or photographs. Next, in 2012, Snapchat introduced videos on the app. Both of these updates in 2011 and 2012 made the app even more popular. Snapchat continued to grow in popularity as new updates were released "2013-2014: Stories and Chat," "2015: Discover and Lenses," and in "2016: Memories".

Snapchat has created a social network of people sharing their different interactions and daily life. It has made it easy for people to stay in touch with a friend who is far away and give them the ability to feel like they are not missing anything in each other's lives. In addition to creating a platform for social interaction, Snapchat is also a source for news from websites such as Cosmopolitan, People, Buzzfeed, National Geographic and more. This creates a network of people receiving the same information from the same source.