7 reasons I love Snapchat (and why you should too)

Since I was convinced by a friend to get Snapchat I too have talked friends into signing up.

A platform that once scared me, it has won me over like anything that has Nutella on it. Before you dismiss Snapchat like I very nearly did, here are some reasons to give it a chance.

1. It’s old-school sharing, not #sponsored #potd #blessed

Before #sponsored and #ootd, social media sites used to be places where people could share things without the pressure of applying filters. Sometimes you just want to share the most banal, self-indulgent things without feeling judged. And amazingly, this is what Snapchat allows you to do: you can share ‘should I buy this?’ snaps without flooding a newsfeed.

2. Its bad-ass UI

Being a UX nerd, I felt stressed out using Snapchat at first because it made no navigational sense to me. How does a user know where to swipe to get to their profile? It’s not the most user-friendly app but is that the point? If UX is about a deep understanding of your audience, then does Snapchat slay because it understands its users (people who have grown up with smartphones and social media)? I don’t have the answer to that. Just a hunch.

UX question aside, I also love that it doesn’t follow conventions we’ve grown used to. There’s no Newsfeed as such and rather than make like sheep and incorporate Likes, Snapchat does away with it. And shockingly, if you ever feel compelled to express extreme appreciation or comment on something, you are forced to do so via Chat. Unlike other social media platforms, this brings intimacy into the equation — something that is so basic to human relationships and often diluted by the passive nature of other social media platforms.

A testament to this is that I often find myself communicating (proper conversations that involve questions and answers) with friends on Snapchat in lieu of SMS or Facebook Messenger. Plus, my sister and I communicate more over Snapchat than IRL (ha, kidding. Sort of)

3. THAT AMAZING AR selfie-feature

Remember when Augmented Reality (AR) was a far-off-into-the-future concept? Well on Snapchat it’s technology that’s used daily. Using face detection, Snapchat can overlay your face with dynamic ‘masks’ in real time. Sure this may not be a ground breaking feature but it makes taking a selfie so accessible. In my opinion, it levels the selfie playing field because you don’t need good lighting or the genes of a model to partake in selfies. Oh and have you tried it? It’s stupidly fun.

Selfies on public transport? Totes OK with Snapchat.

4. It’s authentic and hassle-free

OK let’s talk about filters. They are both a blessing and a burden. On one end they really do make things look better but on the other hand, they are extremely limiting. Because in the quest to compete with impossibly impeccable flatlays, we are constantly filtering everything. And in some instances, it causes the loss of authenticity.

On Snapchat, aint nobody got time fo’ that. Yes there are filters on Snapchat but most are to do with adding meaning for e.g it lets you add temperature info, location info and travel speed over your snaps.

What you’re left with is a bunch of snaps that are shared, authentically. Like you’re right there rather than browsing through staged pictures (not all are of course).

5. Celeb stalking made easy

So many celebs you’re too ashamed to follow on Insta are on Snapchat, sharing what they’re eating, wearing and doing on the reg. AND NO ONE HAS TO KNOW YOU FOLLOW THEM.

Here’s a list of celebs on Snapchat (thanks Google) to get you started:

• Blake Lively. Username: LivelyBK
• Chris Brown. Username: BPChrisBrown
• Jared Leto. Username: JaredLeto
• Kylie Jenner. Username: KylizzleMyNizzl
• GiGi Hadid. Username: DoubleGiForce
• Miley Cyrus. Username: MileyCyrus

6. Free access to stuff around the world

Not in the U.S to watch the NBA? No probs. There are people you don’t know who are right there, sharing clips of the game in real-time. There’s also plenty of content that you can access under the ‘Discover’ feature. There’s also this sense of community when people take part in themes like sharing snaps of Halloween.

7. Perfect for holiday snaps

Taking snaps of your holiday in short clips is so easy with Snapchat. All you have to do is do your thing and save your day’s snaps directly to your phone and bam, you have a video clip of your day. True to its name, you can capture snaps of your experiences without having to edit a video together. Sure it won’t be as sophisticated as a video created with iMovie but for those not inclined to use such software, it’s good enough.

Are you as sold on Snapchat as we are? What do you think of it?