Ashley Lejserowits
PRS 442
Regina Bell
March 22, 2017
Summary of Snapchat
A little over five years ago in 2011, Snapchat was just an idea created by three fraternity
brothers. The founders, Evan Siegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, wanted a way to have
the pictures they were sending to women disappear. The age of social media was on the rise and
people were starting to realize that what you send is out there forever. From this idea, Snapchat
was born. It is an image messaging and multimedia application allowing users to send pictures
and videos that disappear after the time limit runs out. Snapchat has a mix of public content and
private messages including brand networks, live events, and publications. Snapchat works in a
way similar to how people communicate face-to-face; When we talk to each other in passing,
those moments disappear. Snapchat replicates that behavior and psychology.
In addition to the app, Snapchat has Spectacles. These are sunglasses that a user can wear
to take videos for snapchat, which upload directly to the app through Bluetooth connection.
When the product was announced, many customers thought these would be similar to Google
Glass, but they are strictly camera glasses. Since the release, these glasses have been successful,
and many celebrities are jumping on board to get a chance to try them out.
In 2016, Snapchat was under fire for having a reputation of driving rent prices up
surrounding their headquarters in Venice, California. The rent hike caused locals to move
elsewhere, and the community started to become mostly millennial tech workers. The company
wanted to change their reputation, so they made a proposal to spend $500 thousand on
community service. At the time St. Joseph’s Center, “needed funding for a software
programming class for low-income women, Snapchat Inc. was an obvious candidate” (Dave).
Snapchat jumped at the idea and helped fund the program. The company has also been working
with Safe Place for Youth. Snapchat has been paying for meals and building showers to support
the youths between the ages of 12 and 25 to get them off the streets.
Snapchat now has over 100 million users and 7 billion daily video views. The app was
valued at $16 million, and according to Business Insider the app is on track to bring in $100
million this year in revenue. The app is its own social media platform, but the company has a
pages on Facebook and Twitter. On Twitter the company has 1.78 million followers. They share
pictures, videos, and tweets people have tagged them in that mention the app in a positive light.
On Facebook, the company shares advancements in technology, new information about the
company, and some job opportunities. On their social media pages, people use these platforms to
voice concerns about the app. One user complained her filters weren’t working, and another user
