
Snapchat’s Success: Connectivity, Easy Media Creation, And Ephemerality - coloneltcb
http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/25/how-snapchat-thinks-about-snapchat/?ncid=twittersocialshare
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diek
Wasn't the whole point of Snapchat undermined by the fact that they weren't
really deleting the snaps [1] ? Just renaming the snaps with a '.nomedia'
extension? That sort of contradicts the 'ephemerality' they're going for.

[1] [http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/partner-zone-
infose...](http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/partner-zone-
infosecurity/snapchat-photos-not-deleted-hidden)

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shalalala
Someone needs to coin a term for businesses like Snapchat. They offer nil in
the way of progress, yet act like they are all about progress. They offer no
lasting value, yet you know they store all these snaps and will sell your info
later through meta tags. They offer a free service, so you know you're the
product. They target teenagers whose minds have not fully developed and sell
their info to adults so they can advertise to them more effectively.

They should shut down their service, take the money they have, and make
something that improves the world.

We don't really need another leech, or a shell vehicle for the rich to hedge
in.

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vezzy-fnord
Pretty sure Snapchat falls under the definition of the archetypal cash cow.

 _They target teenagers whose minds have not fully developed and sell their
info to adults so they can advertise to them more effectively._

Frankly I have no sympathy for such people, but I agree that ultimately
Snapchat is a useless trend. It will be replaced soon enough.

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aswanson
I find snapchat hilarious, almost as hilarious as the vc defense/commentary
regarding their rejection of 3 mmm as rational. It's a good thing the founders
got a partial cash out; but I think that this company will serve as iconic
peak idiocy for this investment cycle. But fuck, I've been wrong before.

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hnriot
you don't get it. FB's audience are aging out, they are too busy with their
careers, dealing with newborns and aging parents. Snapchat is a brand that has
an increasing number of new eyeballs to sell ads to. It's not anything to do
with how much good snapchat is doing in the world, or how their 'service' is
bringing a new benefit to humanity, all that matters is the next generation
with purchasing power are looking at it.

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aswanson
Like I said I've been wrong before. I recall thinking Zuckerberg was a fool
for not taking yahoos offer for a billion. I was wrong, but I didn't know
about partial liquidation back then. It's not as binary an outcome. Once you
get f u money, might as well swing for the fences. Rock on, Spiegel and
Murphy. I can't hate.

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siliconc0w
Whoever is calling the shots over at instragram needs to be fired for not
spending the hour or so of engineering time required to make instragram photos
'ephemeral' when the app first came out. It's basically an anti-feature. I
knew I should have patented not saving data back in the day.

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lajy
You clearly didn't read the article or the speech. If every word you ever said
aloud was recorded, you'd probably speak differently than have you entire
life. The whole point is that by making it ephemeral, in an age where nearly
everything can be stored indefinitely and shared immediately, it becomes a
mode of communication rather than a preserved expression.

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lelandbatey
It's interesting that you say "imagine growing up in a world where everything
you say is recorded" because a key part of growing up for me was being taught
that for a large part of my life, that _could_ be the reality.

It's very interesting to try to live your life as if you were always being
recorded. It forces you to be more truthful in the things you casually say,
while simultaneously tempering your views so you can stay truthful when
expressing your opinion. However, I've found it to be a largely worthwhile
goal, since it forces a high degree of consistency between ones internal and
external state, a feeling that is quite satisfying.

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fatjokes
I thought it was the sexting?

