Conclusion

After a process of reviewing the history of Snapchat, its effects on society and literacy, the controversies it has caused, and the moral implications of it, I believe that Snapchat can be a beneficial application and platform if used in the correct way.  While it has its flaws, and can be dangerous to users who are not aware of these issues, it can also provide a means to keep in touch with others in a fun and interactive way.  In my examination of its history, I saw that Snapchat grew in both content and consumer features as well as monetary additions to the application as well.  A fine line needs to be laid by its creators as to whether Snapchat will continue on its mission of being a social media platform and benefitting users through creative social content, or if it will go down the rocky road of trying to integrate the interests of businesses and large corporations who will want to manipulate users for the sake of gaining a larger consumer base.  I believe that Snapchat will continue to grow as more millennials become aware of it and digital media continues to grow, especially in other countries outside of the United States.  Hopefully, Snapchat will be used as an accessory, and as a way to give others a peek into someone’s life, rather than someone using Snapchat as a validation for their lifestyle.

Snapchat statistics as of January, 2017 via Hubspot.