4 ms·

> utterly unnecessary toy I don't get why people dismiss anything that isn't immediately pragmatic as useless. Snapchat is an addicting communication tool that

> utterly unnecessary toy I don't get why people dismiss anything that isn't immediately pragmatic as useless. Snapchat is an addicting communication tool that motivates people to share and stay in touch. Isn't one of the core tenants of advancement as a species cooperation and affection? Isn't improving the quality of our personal relationships something worthwhile to pursue in its own? Most people dismiss snapchat interactions as fleeting and shallow, but since when are close relationships built on 100% esoteric mind melds? Getting a giggle out of my girlfriend with a silly emoji can still strengthen our bond

hueving 10y ago
>Snapchat is an addicting communication tool that motivates people to share and stay in touch. So is MySpace, so is Facebook, so is twitter. >Isn't one of the core tenants of advancement as a species cooperation and affection? There isn't much evidence that tools to help you isolate yourself into echo chambers are advancements at all. >Getting a giggle out of my girlfriend with a silly emoji can still strengthen our bond Somehow couples were communicating before snapchat. How do you think people got by before they could send pictures of themselves with oversized tongues and dog ears?
- koolba 10y ago
  > How do you think people got by before they could send pictures of themselves with oversized tongues and dog ears? Those were dark times indeed. Some people even had to resort to using physical means of communication, namely paper and ink. To make matters worse, it left open the possibility that the receiver of your communique may not dispose of it properly. I've heard reports of people keeping such "private messages" around for 30, 40, sometimes 50+ years!
adventured 10y ago
It's worse than that. Snapchat is clearly very pragmatic to its users. There are few things more important to people than communication, and that will always be true. Might as well proclaim the telegraph, telephone call or email to be a ridiculous toy (except Snap is far superior to any of those given its capabilities). It's the same premise that has people shake their heads in outrage at sports team valuations. It's worldview bias, projecting onto other people what one's own values are.
artursapek 10y ago
Communication is obviously not unnecessary, but Snapchat could not exist and everything would be pretty much the same.
Eridrus 10y ago
Snapchat is clearly in the entertainment category, competing for eyeballs, where the value they add over the next best option is small compared to the rewards they get for being able to advertise to those eyeballs. This is a problem with most of capitalism but is much more pronounced in ad supported models since there's no way for a slightly inferior product to get an edge by being slightly cheaper.

hueving 10y ago

>Snapchat is an addicting communication tool that motivates people to share and stay in touch. So is MySpace, so is Facebook, so is twitter. >Isn't one of the core tenants of advancement as a species cooperation and affection? There isn't much evidence that tools to help you isolate yourself into echo chambers are advancements at all. >Getting a giggle out of my girlfriend with a silly emoji can still strengthen our bond Somehow couples were communicating before snapchat. How do you think people got by before they could send pictures of themselves with oversized tongues and dog ears?

koolba 10y ago
> How do you think people got by before they could send pictures of themselves with oversized tongues and dog ears? Those were dark times indeed. Some people even had to resort to using physical means of communication, namely paper and ink. To make matters worse, it left open the possibility that the receiver of your communique may not dispose of it properly. I've heard reports of people keeping such "private messages" around for 30, 40, sometimes 50+ years!

adventured 10y ago

It's worse than that. Snapchat is clearly very pragmatic to its users. There are few things more important to people than communication, and that will always be true. Might as well proclaim the telegraph, telephone call or email to be a ridiculous toy (except Snap is far superior to any of those given its capabilities). It's the same premise that has people shake their heads in outrage at sports team valuations. It's worldview bias, projecting onto other people what one's own values are.

artursapek 10y ago

Communication is obviously not unnecessary, but Snapchat could not exist and everything would be pretty much the same.

Eridrus 10y ago

Snapchat is clearly in the entertainment category, competing for eyeballs, where the value they add over the next best option is small compared to the rewards they get for being able to advertise to those eyeballs. This is a problem with most of capitalism but is much more pronounced in ad supported models since there's no way for a slightly inferior product to get an edge by being slightly cheaper.