Snapchat Through The Diffusion Theory

On July 8, 2011, Snapchat was first released to the public. This social media giant came less than a year after Instagram made its big debut, and boy was it a hit! The diffusion theory tries to explain why it made such a splash. According to its Wikipedia page, the diffusion theory “seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread.” Snapchat has only been around for about 11 years and has faced many hardships, yet it has remained one of the top social media platforms across the globe.

There are five main elements that go into the diffusion theory: the innovation itself, who adopted it, where can it be used (i.e., strictly mobile, strictly PC, or perhaps both), time, and a social system.

Snapchat was an easy-to-use platform that was released right about when smart phones with decent cameras became popular. Its target audience was mainly teenagers and young adults who wanted to keep in touch with their friends but did not necessarily want to have long conversations. Snapchat is commonly used to send selfies to friends, keep ‘streaks’, and post interesting parts of your life. I use snapchat daily to see what my friends and family are up to all across the globe.

Much like other social media platforms, it has monumentally changed communication, but it does have its downsides. Especially on snapchat, people tend to only post the best parts of their lives on their public story. While this is awesome, and I love to see what people are up to, it can be tough for people who are not as fortunate. Seeing people partying in France while I’m working for the summer definitely hurts, not because I want to be with those people necessarily, but because they are living a ‘better’ life.

There have also been thousands of accounts hacked and personal photos or conversations are accessed and sometimes leaked. It is definitely a gamble to use such a platform to capture your life.

Snapchat was released at the right place and right time with an audience eager to communicate on their new devices. You can now watch the lives of celebrities, politicians, and organizations all in the palm of your hand. There are risks, as there are with anything on the internet, but being able to communicate efficiently with friends and family is something you shouldn’t trade for the world.