Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Is Snapchat a Judgment Free Zone?


By Dr. Strohmetz


Snapchat is great, isn’t it? But why is so great? Researchers at Texas Tech University wondered why Snapchat is so popular among college students.  In a survey study of 500 students, they found that it is the simplicity and brevity of Snapchat that makes is so appealing. Because posts only last 10 seconds, students thought that people can be more like their real selves as what they share quickly disappears.  No need to worry about creating the right impression with the perfect post or the best selfie.  You can just be yourself.  Heck, if it turns out bad, poof – it’s gone in 10 seconds!  No wonder why the researchers found that students believed that Snapchat posts can increase our trust in the other person.

This brevity can also make us less apprehensive about posting our views on social media because it won’t be around to bite us in the future.  This lack of apprehension make help explain why posting on Snapchat seems to be more addictive than Instagram or Twitter as we may feel less accountable for expressing our viewpoints.  Besides, we need to keep our Snapchat streak going, no? But just remember, are Snaps really ever gone forever if the other person knows how to take a screenshot of your Snap?


Learn more about this study:
Snapchat users motivation, level of interest
 The simplicity of the platform and brevity of posts are key factors in determining how students can become very regular users.

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