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Why would an adult use Snapchat?

Why would an adult use Snapchat?

Snapchat is often seen as a social media platform for teens and young adults. However, in recent years more and more adults over 30 have been joining Snapchat. There are several key reasons why Snapchat appeals to adult users:

Staying in Touch with Younger Friends and Family

Many adults have younger relatives like children, nieces/nephews, or younger siblings that use Snapchat. Joining Snapchat allows older adults to keep up with these younger friends and family members. Snapchat provides a fun and casual way to communicate through ephemeral photos, videos, and messages. Adults may not use Snapchat as their primary social platform, but it’s a great supplemental way to engage with younger generations.

Following Celebrities and Influencers

Many celebrities and influencers are active on Snapchat. Their stories provide a “behind-the-scenes” look into their daily lives. Following favorite celebrities on Snapchat allows adults to feel more connected with their work and interests. Snapchat provides a different type of celebrity content than what’s shown on Instagram or Facebook.

Staying Current on Pop Culture Trends

Snapchat lenses, filters, and challenges go viral quickly. Using Snapchat allows adults to stay up-to-date on the latest meme culture and pop culture trends. Even if adults don’t actively participate in these trends themselves, being aware of what’s popular can help them connect better with younger demographics.

Breaking News and Events

Snapchat features stories from top news and media outlets. It also has public crowd-sourced stories covering major events and breaking news in real-time. Adults can use Snapchat as a source for quick video news updates. The stories format makes consuming news on Snapchat fast and easy.

Local Stories and Content

Snapchat features local stories that capture events and places in your community. Adults can follow these stories to stay informed about happenings at local venues and businesses. Local stories provide a unique way to engage with your own community.

Augmented Reality Lenses

Snapchat is known for its fun augmented reality lenses that use face tracking technology. Adults may enjoy testing out these creative lenses on themselves and friends for amusing selfies. Some lenses turn you into a dancing hot dog or cat while others morph the world around you. The AR lenses showcase one of Snapchat’s unique features.

Benefits of Snapchat for Adults

Here are some of the key benefits adults can get from using Snapchat:

Fun way to stay connected with younger generations

Snapchat provides a casual platform where adults can engage with their teenage or young adult children, cousins, nieces/nephews etc. The playful features like lenses and Bitmoji avatars make connecting with younger friends and family easy and enjoyable.

Behind-the-scenes look at celebrities

Following celebrities on Snapchat gives a unique, raw look into their daily lives. Seeing their informal Stories can make fans feel closer and more connected with their favorite stars. Snapchat provides a different view than curated Instagram feeds.

Keep up with trends and pop culture

From viral dances to popular meme terms, Snapchat is often the source where new pop culture trends emerge. Using Snapchat allows adults to stay knowledgeable about the latest crazes and link up better with youth culture overall.

Convenient way to consume news

With video Stories from top news outlets and breaking news coverage through public Stories, Snapchat offers a quick and visual way for adults to stay informed. The ephemeral nature means you get the highlights without lots of analysis.

Engage with local community

Local Snapchat Stories highlight interesting events, places, and news in your geographic area. Adults can use local Stories to feel connected and involved with happenings in their community.

Express creativity through AR lenses

Snapchat lenses allow anyone get creative with fun, augmented reality effects. Adults can enjoy testing out the latest silly or even stunning lenses on themselves and friends.

Common Adult Uses of Snapchat

Here are some of the most common ways adults over 30 use Snapchat:

Messaging Friends and Family

Adults use Snapchat to carry on casual conversations with friends and family through chat. They can also send direct photo and video Snaps to share moments from their day. The ephemeral messaging style allows for silly, low-pressure engagements.

Creating Memories with Snapchat Memories

Snapchat Memories allows users to save their Snaps and Stories to camera roll before they disappear. Adults may use Memories to preserve happy moments with kids or vacations to look back on later. The feature provides archiving capability for meaningful Snaps.

Posting Public Stories

Some adults create public Stories to share snapshots from their daily lives. While not as heavily featured as teen Stories, adult Stories provide humor and insights within their friend group and communities. Posting public Stories can be rewarding creative outlet.

Spectating Friends’ Stories

Adults commonly view Stories from friends, family, influencers, publishers, and local venues that they follow. Spectating Stories keeps adults entertained and informed throughout the day. It provides a quick way to see what friends are up to.

Using Creative Lenses and Filters

Adults have fun testing Snapchat’s unique augmented reality Lenses that transform selfies. Face-morphing filters that add dog ears, stylish makeup, and other effects let adults show off their silly side. Some use Snapchat filters to enhance professional profile pictures too.

Contributing to Crowd-Sourced Stories

At public events like concerts or sporting events, adults may contribute relevant Snaps to the public crowd-sourced Story. Sharing their perspective to the larger Story makes adults feel part of the shared experience.

Snapchat for Business Use

Some adults leverage Snapchat to promote their small business, engage customers, or network professionally. Snapchat isn’t just for goofing around among friends – it provides helpful business tools as well.

Challenges and Criticisms Facing Adult Snapchat Users

While Snapchat can provide benefits, there are also some challenges and criticisms that face adult users:

Learning Curve

For those who didn’t use Snapchat growing up, there can be a learning curve to understand all the features. Adults may need help understanding the difference between Snaps, Stories, Memories, and more when first starting out.

Content Considered Immature

Some adults feel Snapchat content is immature or inane. The selfies, overlaid graphics, and viral challenges can seem juvenile rather than substantive. Not all adults want this style of interaction.

Less Privacy Controls than Facebook

Facebook offers more sophisticated privacy settings compared to Snapchat. Adults with privacy concerns may be uncomfortable with the more public nature of Stories and lack of audience filtering options.

Limited Text Boxes

The limited space for text overlay on photos and videos can be frustrating. Adults may want to convey more context than the brief caption box allows.

Hard to Keep Up with Rapidly Changing Features

Snapchat frequently rolls out new feature updates. It can be difficult for adults to keep up with all the changes and understand how to use the latest tools. Mastering new features requires time and effort.

Concerns About Distraction

Like any social media, some criticize Snapchat as being distracting and even addictive in nature. Adults may be concerned about wasting too much time on superficial Snapping rather than more meaningful pursuits.

Conclusion

While Snapchat originated as a social network for teens, it has evolved into a multimedia communication platform appealing to all ages. Adults over 30 may find Snapchat provides a fun way to engage with younger generations, follow pop culture and news, and express creativity through AR lenses. The casual, ephemeral messaging style sets Snapchat apart from traditional social networks. However, the immature content, privacy concerns, and rapidly changing features can deter some adult users. Overall, Snapchat occupies a unique niche that resonates with many older millennials and adults looking to connect with youth culture in a light-hearted way. The platform continues to expand its offerings to attract broader age demographics beyond just teens.