Understanding SnapLanguage.
Snapchat framework. From how it works, how we call the feature, what we can do… concepts used on the Snapchat app.
This post does not have the intention of being an extended guide to explain Snapchat but a glossary of concepts to start my practice-research experiment about Snapchat Storytelling. If you want to know more — and better — about the Snapchat app, go to their blog, FAQ’s page or just type it on Medium search bar.
I have selected some concepts, in my mind, essentials to understand the contexts. As it is an evolving work, this list is continuously changing.
Snap. They are the minimum piece of content with their own meaning. It is comparable to a word. They can be a mix: photo, video, text, emojis, draws.
Chat. Snapchat is a communication app with an enriched way of talking. Destruction time message was the appeal for million of teenagers hungry of creating “prohibited” content. However, the real deal was and is the live chat. In a 1.0 version, you could be in a live chat — knowing your friend was listening to you, seeing their reactions…— far from the “typing” message of the rest of chat apps. They overcome with a real live communication (Snapchat blog, 2016, Chat 2.0).
Stories. Stories are compilations of Snaps that create a narrative and last for 24h. They could be seen for all the followers’ friends. According to their creators, Stories honor the true nature of storytelling — Snaps appear in chronological order with a beginning, middle and end. Stories are the key concept for this work.
GeoContent. As a native app, Snapchat allow snapchatters to use their location to personalize content. One of the applications is decorated content by geofilters. For example, the name of cities, weather, events, companies, etc. (Snapchat, 2014, Geolfilters). But the most powerful is to create content and stories for the people in a place. It is the case of Campus Stories (Snapchat blog, 2014, Campus Stories).
Filter. Filters let you change the look of your Snaps. It’s being the big issue for snap user lately. You can apply filters in two ways: GeoFilters (we already talk) and selfie-filters which allow you to do big and funny changes on your appearance.
