Snapchat: In a saturated social media space, why do young people continue to use it?

THREE KEY FACTS Snapchat’s innovative technology revolutionised social media upon its launch in 2011. It soon struggled to compete with Instagram, which began adopting similar features such as Stories. The app now has 1.

5 million monthly active users in New Zealand, and reaches nearly 95% of Kiwis aged 13 to 24. Snapchat hooked millennials and early Gen-Z with its pioneering technology - but with social media now markedly different to when the app launched in 2011, why do youth keep using it? The Herald’s Lana Andelane looks at what makes Snapchat stand out for younger generations. For those in the millennial-early-Gen-Z cohort, Snapchat was a formative experience in the world of social media.

Its yellow logo with the cartoon ghost symbolised fun: no one worried about the number of likes or a carefully curated persona. Snapchat was different, its trailblazing features fostering a more authentic online experience - one characterised by private jokes, silly filters ( the dog one in particular), and friendship. Over the 13 years since Snapchat’s launch, apps have risen ( TikTok ), fallen ( BeReal ), and crashed ( Threads ).

Some rebranded ( Twitter became X , while LinkedIn is now apparently a dating site). Snapchat, too, has had its share of peaks and troughs - grappling to maintain relevance with a brutal, hyperkinetic audience..