In 2011, however, Snapchat was revolutionary. The messaging app – which offered the ability to exchange disappearing pictures and videos – presented a novel concept: instead of sharing a blurry photo or personal update with your entire friends’ list, you had control of the audience. A selfie could be strategically sent to people you wanted to see it, bypassing those you did not. This not only fostered cyber relationships, but gave people more autonomy to share their authentic selves online without fear of judgement.
Since then, the app has evolved into a raft of features. Chat and call functions, augmented reality lenses, “Snap Map”, creative and educational tools, and “Stories” from friends, creators, and media partners are among its current offerings, much like its primary competitor, Instagram.
But Snapchat struggled to compete with the big players. In the mid-2010s, Instagram began rolling out similar features (”Stories”, for example, were once exclusive to Snapchat). Snapchat’s original audience outgrew its puppy dog and “rainbow vomit” filters, and drifted away in droves. As influencer culture took off, Instagram was seen as the key to self-promotion and artful curation – people could portray themselves as who they wanted to be.
Yet as Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha grew, Snapchat rose from the ashes. Disenchanted with manicured, glossy feeds, the younger generations sought self-expression in all its rawness. Soon, the app’s original audience also started to return for a welcome dose of realness. Snapchat had a resurgence.
Snapchat has had a comeback – but why?
Chris*, 27, says Snapchat is a welcome departure from the “business-like” tone of Facebook and Instagram. While the Meta platforms still work for self-promotion and touting personal milestones, Snapchat is “carefree”, he says – the “chill cousin” that provides respite from an orchestrated online persona.
“Gen-Z seem to be moving away from more traditional social media like Facebook and Instagram. Unlike those platforms where there can be a lot of serious posts and business, Snap has a much more fun, silly, and carefree vibe to it,” he tells the Herald.
“Personally, I use Instagram and Facebook to promote my music and Snapchat is like the chill cousin I go to when I need a break from that.”
The plethora of functions in one app is another drawcard for 21-year-old Melanie*, an avid Snapchat user.
“[You can] see where people are, and it’s a quick way to message, video call, send photos, or send long voice memos. Instagram doesn’t let you send voice memos over a minute long … Snapchat has it all,” she says.
For Luca*, 22, Snapchat is his “go-to app for getting in touch with friends”.
“Pretty much everyone I know has an account and uses it daily, so it’s the most reliable way of getting in touch with someone,” he tells the Herald. “It’s more personalised, which makes it more engaging than Facebook or Instagram.”
Betty*, 25, says Snapchat is the app she and her friends gravitate towards the most. Unlike Instagram or Facebook Messenger, Snapchat does not show message previews, which fosters a sense of urgency, Betty says. She and her friends use the app for matters that need immediate addressing, and tend to check it as a first priority.
“Ninety per cent of my friends are travelling or have moved to a new country. Receiving pics and videos of what they’re doing in live time is incredible,” Betty says. “It’s way more real than their Instagram posts, which get curated and shared after the fact.”
As well as spearheading the “Story” format now utilised across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok (a collection of chronological uploads that are available to view for 24 hours), Snapchat also pioneered “self-erasing” content. Unlike its counterparts at the time, photos were only viewable to recipients for a short period before “disappearing” into the ether. Social networking, highly public by nature, had been afforded a degree of privacy.
The feature was one of Snapchat’s major drawcards in its infancy – and continues to be so, says Melanie.
She believes disappearing messages encourage freedom of expression, giving users the confidence to be their most silly, authentic selves – a stark contrast to the carefully curated “highlight reel” Instagram has become known for.
“With Instagram, people only show select parts of their life. Snapchat is the place you can let loose and have some fun – you get to choose who sees your content,” she tells the Herald.
“Snapchat feels more private and comforting for communication … I have a strong connection to it.”
While the feature has its pros, there is an underbelly. Temporary photos have made Snapchat a breeding ground for cybersex, allowing the “nudes” trade between amorous teens and adults alike to flourish; content can’t necessarily be traced (unless the recipient is quick enough to take a screenshot). Users also have control over how long they want their Snap to be viewable, from a single second to 10. For the brave, the infinity symbol allows it to be viewed for as long as the recipient desires.
“Maybe people my age have trust issues because of being able to see when someone has screenshot a chat,” Betty laughs.
While risqué content is not always unwelcome, the disappearing feature can foster predatory and inappropriate behaviour, creating opportunities for unsolicited or harmful communication – especially as the app is marketed to users aged 12 and over. This is compounded by the “quick add” feature, which suggests accounts based on your existing contacts – allowing strangers or friends-of-friends to add you in the same vein as Facebook.
Although their request must be accepted before contact can be initiated, many trusting users see no harm in adding an acquaintance or two, Melanie says.
However, unwanted messages are an issue she frequently encounters.
“The ‘quick add’ feature is a bit dangerous because anyone can add you; if it says you have 10-plus mutuals, you might add them back thinking it’s someone you know,” Melanie tells the Herald.
“When it turns out to be a 45-year-old man sending you a photo of his ball-sack, it can make you want to delete the app. It can definitely be gross.”
The Snap Map function also has its downsides. When enabled (it’s disabled by default), your location is visible to your contacts on a virtual map that reveals the road, suburb, and how long it would take to get there – information that could facilitate stalking. It also shares how long ago the person was in that location, based on when they last opened the app.
In March 2021, a 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in Brighton, Australia after gate-crashers used the feature to track down the party she was attending.
For a platform that heralds itself on safety and privacy initiatives, the introduction of Snap Map in 2017 can’t help but feel incongruous, Melanie says.
“[It] can get a little creepy because if you select a person, it brings up a map on how to get to them,” she explains. “I do think this is quite invasive and Snapchat shouldn’t be telling people your precise address.”
“Privacy can be an issue with Snap Map, which definitely has its cons,” Luca agrees. “I know some friends religiously check [it] in their downtime.”
“We all use Snap Map to stalk each other,” Betty adds. “[When] one person is missing: ‘I just checked their Snap Map, they’re still at home’.”
Gamifying friendship
Friendship has always been front and centre for Snapchat. The app originally allowed users to view their contacts’ “top three friends”, a feature that has since been traded for a private list of the contacts you message most. The first iteration was “super toxic”, Betty says, noting the visibility of “best friends” could spark jealousy in relationships and friendships.
The app was also one of the first to gamify friendship with “streaks”, a feature that was added in 2015 and adopted by TikTok this June. A “Snap streak” begins after three consecutive days of communication; to maintain it, users must continue to trade Snaps at least once daily. The feature is so popular, you can even request for your streak to be restored if someone drops the ball.
While the gamified function “motivates users” to participate in daily interactions, it also has negative effects. A study of 2483 early adolescents in Belgium last year found “problematic smartphone use” was associated with engagement in streaks.
“FOMO, problematic smartphone use, and social media self-control were correlated with the number of people and the number of days adolescents maintained Snapchat streaks with,” the researchers said.
Luca agrees maintaining streaks has become “outdated”, adding: “They can feel the pressure to maintain a constant conversation because of that, which isn’t necessary.”
Finally, young people seem to gravitate towards Snapchat for the memories – literally. The platform allows users to look back on Snaps they’ve saved, creating a virtual memory bank that can span years. The saved content can be re-edited and shared, allowing you to enjoy past moments with friends; alternatively, “My Eyes Only” encyrpts private memories behind a password.
“I’ve had the app for a long time now and I love the ‘on this day’ feature – seeing good memories pop up from years gone by,” Chris says.
Melanie agrees. “Snapchat holds a lot of memories. A lot of people I know used Snapchat the most during high school and university.
“Deleting the app comes with a fear of not being able to look back years down the track – and potentially losing all of those memories.”
As of September 2024, Snapchat has more than 1.5 million monthly active users in New Zealand – more than 50% of whom are 25 or older. The app is most popular among 13 to 24-year-olds, reaching nearly 95% of Kiwis in the bracket, as well as 75% of people aged 13 to 34.
The question is: will you be joining them?
*Aliases have been used.
Lana Andelane is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist who joined the Herald in 2024. She was previously lifestyle editor at Newshub, where she began her career as a news producer in 2019. She enjoys writing about music, pop culture, fashion and beauty.
