> There is nothing to "get" other than to understand that as you become older the thing that's changing is you
For proof of this, look no further than when Facebook introduced the timeline, making it easier to view old wall posts.
People went crazy, claiming their private messages had been made public [0]. In truth, they just couldn't remember how unconcerned with privacy they used to be.
I think it's fascinating on two counts. Firstly that the accepted etiquette of how we use social media changed so quickly. And secondly that people's brains can simply reject something they did in the past, if it doesn't fit their current sense of self.
You've definitely changed my view of these social media platforms. I'm not sure that I absolutely agree with you, but I'm not sure where I disagree, either. Great points, all around.
Actually, I think this can be chalked up to the age of you and your friends. Snapchat feels very "middle school", when a status update could have been something like "I just saw a cute dog!!" -- a very low bar. Now as a 20-something a status is something I would use to say "Flying back home for a week!" -- more major events.
The young do not remember what it was to be old.
Not what, how.
(The emotional perspective is blown away, a skeleton of selected facts remains.
Besides no man being a hero to his valet, usually his older self is not a fan either.)
But I'll stand corrected, if that's what makes you happy, kid ;-)
People who are 20 are doing on Snapchat today what I did on Facebook when I was 20: multicasting. I either want to send a message to everyone or to a group. Sometimes in a personal message. I see almost no real difference in content. Snapchat might be a little racier in personal messages, but that happened on FB and Twitter as well.
The ephemeral nature was built into Facebook and Twitter as well, to some extent, as the services weren't searchable. You'd post something and after a few more posts it was essentially "gone from view".
Outside of marketers and people trying to "build an audience" I really see almost no difference at all in the way people use it. It's just a matter of how old you are and what service was popular at the time.
Don't believe me? Do this as an experiment: Create a new account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Follow only 30 real people. No more, no less. 30 people you know. No marketers or self promoters or any of that nonsense. Just follow 30 real people, maybe a celeb or two the way a 20 year old might. Look at the content. It's all the same stuff. Having fun here, doing this with person X, Y, and Z. Cute dog photo. Inspiring quote. Maybe a DM with some nudes. There is nothing to "get" other than to understand that as you become older the thing that's changing is you. The biggest difference between Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat is how old you and your friends were when you started using it, and what what point in the lifecycle of the service you were at.