Snapchat update, revolutionizes app

Snapchat is a social media app used for sharing moments. Users can either take a photo or video, and send it to their friends, or add it to a story for all followers to see. Friends can view snaps for up to 10 seconds, and after 24 hours it disappears.

Snapchat was launched in July, 2011, by CEO Evan Spiegel, and CTO Bobby Murphy. The two met as students at Stanford, where they collaborated on a project named “Picaboo”. The name was later changed to Snapchat. Their purpose behind Snapchat was to create a unique form of social media that was different than its competitors.

Along with the good camera quality and new features, Damien Boyce, ’17, has high praise for Snapchat.

“I have had Snapchat for four years,” Boyce said. “I think that overall, it is a good app. You can take a lot of pictures, and the camera has good quality. I love the new update. It is hilarious and I like all the new features.”

Sierra Duffy, ’16, enjoys Snapchat and is looking forward to the direction the app is taking with its new update.

“I absolutely love Snapchat,” Duffy said. “I like that they did something different with the new update with the faces changing in the camera. They’re making this app a different kind of social media platform. It’s not strictly communication, it’s kind of becoming it’s own category.”

Snapchat has had great success since its launch in 2011. With an estimated 400 million snaps sent per day, Snapchat recently turned down a $3 billion offer from Facebook. The company is currently valued at $800 million.

This author can be reached via Twitter @nick_leblanc1 and via email Nicholas LeBlanc.