The Snapchat Effect

Abstract : In the schoolyard, pupils are subjected to several prohibitions such as showing themselves with a teenager of the opposite sex or with younger one. If they do, they risk to be targeted by peers’ mockeries, insults, rumors, even physical attacks. Outside the school, they are constrainted by parental control. Hence, they use social media to create mixed and intergenerational connections, away from prying eyes. The social media they use the most is Snapchat because of its ephemeral and screenshot control features. On one hand, they feel like they could share anything without fearing streaks as if it were a face-to-face interaction; on the other hand, they have many tries before sending a text, a recorded voice or a video. Thus, they can share deeper and reflexive intimacies with anyone. However, Snapchat is not completely free from peer control: teenagers share their password to maintain their snap streaks, they look at the snaps collectively, they use fake identities to obtain some information, they have strategies to watch and save contents anonymously, etc. Therefore, online confidences can become a threat for young people’s reputation.