Snapchat

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Snapchat
Basic data

developer Snap Inc.
Publishing year September 2011
Current  version 10.72.5 ( Android )
Dec. 18, 2019

10..80.5.79 ( iOS )
Apr. 25, 2020

operating system Android , iOS
programming language Java , Objective-C
category Instant messaging
License proprietary
German speaking Yes
snapchat.com

Snapchat is a free instant messaging - service for use on smartphones and tablets . The service allows photos and other media that are only visible a certain number of seconds before they are automatically removed to be sent to friends. However, it is relatively easy to find and restore sent files within the folder structure of the device in use.

Snapchat was founded in September 2011 by Robert "Bobby" Murphy and Evan Spiegel . The company is based in Los Angeles , California . In September 2013, the service sent 350 million messages a day. The offer of a purchase by Facebook Inc. for an initial one billion and later three billion US dollars was rejected. Its value was put at 19 billion US dollars in September 2015 . In April 2016, around 100 million active users viewed 10 billion video clips every day. With this activity, Snapchat is ahead of Facebook worldwide , which has around eight billion daily video views.

Snapchat differs from other social media services in its structure. In addition to the conventional messaging function for communicating from one person to another or in group chats, users do not receive any profiles that can be expanded with content. Instead, they get their own one-way channels that can be used to distribute new content over and over again. Its content can be viewed by other users, but cannot comment or like it directly. This content disappears after a while. Classically, it is more like a diary that you temporarily share with other users. In short, every user receives a station and thus the opportunity to use a channel with photos or short films as they wish for their target group, which can be provided with various filters.

On 24 September 2016, the company Snapchat Inc. was snap Inc. renamed. The company's own Spectacles camera glasses were announced, with which one can record videos up to 10 seconds long.

history

development

According to various documents and statements, Reggie Brown contacted Evan Spiegel with his idea of ​​self-erasing images, as he already had experience in business and management. Bobby Murphy , who had coding and programming experience, was then initiated. The three worked closely together for the next several months, until Spiegel and Murphy decided to deny Brown any access to the Snapchat project.

At the beginning, the team focused more on the usability of the app and technical aspects than on brand policy. One exception was the decision to keep the Brown-designed mascot Ghostface Chillah , named after Ghostface Killah of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan .

On May 8, 2012, Brown sent Evan Spiegel an email offering to sell all shares he owned in Snapchat. The firm's attorneys replied that Brown had never had a creative connection with Snapchat and also accused him of fraud for posing as a production developer to Spiegel and Murphy. From this, the attorneys concluded that Brown made no valuable contributions to the development of the app and was therefore not entitled to any shares in the company.

In her first blog entry on May 9, 2012, CEO Evan Spiegel described the company's philosophy: “Snapchat isn't about capturing the traditional  Kodak  moment. It's about communicating with the full range of human emotion - not just what appears to be pretty or perfect. "(" Snapchat is not about capturing the traditional Kodak moment. It's about conveying the full range of human emotions - not just what seems pretty or perfect. ”You describe Snapchat as the result of the discussion about the longevity of personal information on other social networks .

In August 2017, Snapchat ushered in the test phase of the new “Crowd Surf” function, with which video clips from different users can be combined with one another (for one event). In the end, an interactive clip should be created that shows the respective event from different perspectives.

In November 2017, Snapchat announced a redesign, which was implemented at the beginning of 2018 and was then widely criticized. Ingrid Angulo by CNBC argued that sending a snaps and the reunion of stories complicated is, stories and in-depth Snaps are now listed on the same page and the Discover page now contains sponsored content. In February 2018, Kylie Jenner sent out a tweet criticizing the new design of the Snapchat app. As a result, the stock market value of Snapchat Inc. fell by 1.7 billion US dollars.

growth

While around 20 images per second were still being sent in May 2012, on November 28 of the same year the billionth photo shared was reported in the iOS app. Back then, an average of 20 million photos were sent a day. This month, Spiegel also admitted that it had problems delivering some images, so-called snaps, in real time. The Android app was released on October 29th .

In December 2012, Snapchat added the video feature. By keeping the shutter button pressed, videos up to ten seconds long can now be recorded and sent. The video is automatically deleted after viewing it once. Spiegel said that through this process the video file could be compressed to the size of a photo.

In February 2013, Reggie Brown sued Spiegel and Murphy. Brown said he was originally the sales manager and had the idea for the service he named Picaboo. He also stated that he designed the mascot and had the idea for today's company name. Brown's attorneys exposed documents alleged to be a collaboration between Spiegel and Murphy, but Snapchat described the lawsuit as worthless and Brown's tactics as blackmail. During the process, Brown testified that he believed he was an equal partner and that he agreed to share costs and profits. Spiegel, on the other hand, described Brown as an unpaid intern with useful experience. In addition, Murphy said he never fully understood what Brown's role at the company would have been, but considered him an intern. Months later, Spiegel dismissed the process as an example of opportunists seeking fast-growing companies to capitalize on their hard work.

In June 2013 version 5.0 "Banquo" was released for iOS. The name is a reference to the ghostly hero in Shakespeare's Macbeth , who triumphs over evil. The update contained numerous improvements and innovations such as the swipe function or the double-click to reply. Snapkidz was also released in June . When users under the age of 13 signed up, they could paint on the captured images, but could not send images to other users. In addition, the images could only be saved directly on the device.

In October 2013, the story function was introduced, with which users can post their pictures in chronological order in a storyline that can be viewed by all friends. On May 1, 2014, the ability to communicate via video chat was launched. The update also included the direct messaging function, which can be used to send short-lived text messages to users.

On September 9, 2014, the owners of Snapchat announced that the lawsuit against colleague and former friend Reggie Brown had been settled for an undisclosed sum. In the process, they had to admit to Brown that they had the original idea for Snapchat. Spiegel was quoted in the press release: “We are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter in a manner that is satisfactory to Mr. Brown and the Company. We acknowledge Reggie's contribution to the creation of Snapchat and appreciate his work in getting the application off the ground. ”(“ We are glad that we were able to resolve this matter in a way that made the situation easier for Mr Brown and the company is satisfactory. We recognize Reggie's contribution to the development of Snapchat and appreciate his cooperation in designing the app from the ground up. "

In 2015, Snapchat acquired the start-up Looksery, an app that allows users to manipulate videos of themselves. According to figures published by the company, users were sending two billion such videos a day in May 2015. In November it was six billion a day and in 2016 ten billion.

initial public offering

In early 2017, Snapchat went public . The news agency Reuters described this event as "one of the largest IPOs in the technology industry".

In June 2017, Snapchat offered a new location-based function, the "Snap Map". With this it is possible for users to share their own location, but also to find the position of their own contacts and stories in certain places. Although location sharing can be deactivated, the new feature has been subject to severe criticism from child and data protection activists because it can easily create an intimate movement profile. The "Snap Map" was developed in cooperation with the company Mapbox .

filter

The sent media, which are called snaps, can be provided with various filters. The filters can be applied to your snap by swiping left or right. In addition to a filter that shows the current time, the current day of the week, the temperature, the battery level, the current speed or the altitude at which you are, there are also black and white and saturation filters. There are also geofilters: These are location-specific and mostly available in larger cities around the world. A geofilter is obtained when you are in a specific city or area where a geofilter is available. Geofilters make it easier to show your friends where you are. For example, there is a filter in Stuttgart that puts the words “Welcome to Stuttgart” over the image. Any user can submit suggestions for new geofilters via the Snapchat website. Additional filters are available for certain days, such as Oktoberfest, Christmas, Bundesliga games or the federal election.

Snapchat has introduced eleven smileys that appear behind the contact's name. This allows contacts to be categorized more easily and clearly; this function replaces the friend list or best friends feature that has been abolished. The smileys displayed depend on the number of snaps with the conversation partner. This should quickly show who belongs to the closer circle of friends. For example, a yellow heart stands for the contact with whom you exchange snaps the most, or a baby smiley stands for a person with whom you have only recently become friends. As soon as you continuously “snap” with the conversation partner for more than three days, the so-called “flames” appear. The number of flames increases every day. However, if you don't snap back within 24 hours, you lose them. However, an hourglass indicates that the flames will soon be lost.

Stories

Stories are sequences of snaps that form a narrative. They follow the traditional storytelling process. The snaps appear in chronological order from beginning, middle and end. By default, the data protection settings are set so that only the “My Friends” category can see their own stories. But that can be changed at any time. You can view your friends' stories by holding down the friend's circle. The stories remain available for 24 hours and are then automatically deleted. In line with this, the circle will decrease over time. The outer ring of the circle shows how much time is left on the current snap. The ring disappears while looking at the snap and shows how much time you have left with it. The inner circle shrinks as you watch the snaps in the story and shows how much time is left in the story. If you want one or more of your own stories not to be deleted after 24 hours, you can save them beforehand.

Security and Criticism

safety

At the end of December 2013, hackers published the data of around 4.6 million Snapchat users, most of whom lived in the USA, on the Internet. To do this, they used the snapchatdb.info website set up for this purpose . The Gibson Security group had already pointed out security gaps on August 27, 2013 . On January 9, 2014, the developers released a new version of the software.

In October 2014, a collection of around 200,000 images that had been sent with the application came into circulation. The developers ruled out compromising their servers and referred to third-party applications. They prohibit their use in their general terms and conditions.

It has been possible to take screen recordings since iOS 11. It is / was also possible to secretly take pictures. But now Snapchat also registers when a user takes a screen recording. It is then displayed: "You have taken screenshots (of the chat)" or "{user} has taken a screenshot".

privacy

A translation of the data protection declaration also reveals that the operators of the service can be granted numerous and sometimes opaque rights in handling user data, as well as storing and passing it on.

Snapchat granted itself the irrevocable right to use, edit and publish the images of its users stored on the company's servers. With a new version of the service's data protection guidelines from November 2015, Snapchat is also allowed to use the name, picture and voice of its users in all media for an unlimited period. Image and voice should be allowed to be used in the so-called "Live Stories". Use of Snapchat is considered a declaration of consent to these terms and conditions.

literature

Web links

Commons : Snapchat  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

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