Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among teenage girls and young women. Over 70% of Snapchat’s daily active users are female. So what is it about Snapchat that makes it so appealing to girls?
There are several key reasons why girls love using Snapchat:
It’s a Fun Way to Communicate
Snapchat allows users to send photo and video messages that disappear after being viewed. This creates a fun, informal way to communicate with friends. Girls enjoy decorating their snaps with filters, stickers, text, and drawings. Sending silly selfies and videos allows girls to be playful and creative.
It Feels Private
Unlike platforms like Facebook or Instagram, Snapchat feels more private. Since snaps disappear and don’t have public commenting features, girls feel like they can share moment without worrying about judgment. This allows girls to feel free expressing themselves.
It’s Great for Chatting
Snapchat isn’t just for sharing photos. The chat feature allows girls to have real conversations with their close friends. They can have inside jokes, talk about secrets, bond over interests, and more through chatting on Snapchat. The informal, disappearing chats make girls feel like they’re just hanging out with their besties.
It’s the Social Norm
For most teenage girls and young women, using Snapchat is just part of social life. It’s where all their friends are hanging out and chatting. Not being on Snapchat means potentially feeling left out. Girls use Snapchat because everyone else is using it too.
Snapchat Allows Girls to Express Themselves
One of the biggest appeals of Snapchat for girls is that it allows them to express themselves creatively. From the fun selfies to the disappearing messages, Snapchat provides an outlet for girls to share their lives and personalities in a casual way. Some key ways girls get to express themselves on Snapchat include:
Trying On Different Filters and Lenses
Snapchat is known for its huge array of filters and lenses that allow users to alter their appearance. Girls love trying on different filters to change up their look and take fun, visually interesting selfies. Dog filters, flower crowns, anime eyes, and more allow girls to play around with their appearance.
Doodling on Photos
The drawing and text tools on Snapchat allow girls to get creative with photos. They can use Bitmojis, stickers, annotations, and drawings to turn boring old selfies into colorful masterpieces. Adding their own artistic spin makes the experience more fun.
Snapping Their Daily Lives
Girls use Snapchat as a visual diary, snapping major events and minor moments from their daily lives. From snapping their breakfast before school to videos from a night out with friends, girls give their friends peeks into their worlds. Snapchat provides a safe space for girls to share their lives.
Showing Off Their Style
For fashion-conscious girls, Snapchat is a great platform for showing off their personal style. They can share outfit-of-the-day pics, show off new purchases, and get input from friends. Snapchat’s photos and videos make it the perfect place for girls to express themselves through fashion.
Snapchat Facilitates Friendships Between Girls
Another major reason girls love Snapchat is that it allows them to connect with their friends in fun, authentic ways. Snapchat facilitates friendships between girls by giving them a private space to communicate, share their lives, and bond over interests. Key ways Snapchat helps friendships between girls include:
Inside Jokes
Snapchat’s silly photos, drawings, and captions are perfect for creating inside jokes between friends. Those little moments that get etched into relationships happen quickly and easily on Snapchat. Girls can laugh together and feel like they have their own special bonds.
Real Conversations
Snapchat chats allow friends to have real, in-depth conversations. Since chats disappear, girls often feel more comfortable opening up honestly on Snapchat. They talk about deeper issues, secrets, crushes, advice – strengthening their friendships.
Bonding Over Interests
Girls use Snapchat to bond over common interests like beauty, fashion, relationships, school, and more. They can send each other content related to the things they enjoy and have conversations about the things they love.
Making Plans
Snapchat is a great platform for girls to easily make plans together. They can quickly message in chats to figure out the details for a shopping trip, movie night, or birthday party. Snapchat helps facilitate girls getting together in real life.
Snapchat Lets Girls Explore Their Identities
The teen years are a time when girls are figuring out who they are and experimenting with different identities. Snapchat provides a space for girls to safely try on and explore different identities. Key ways girls explore who they are through Snapchat include:
Trying on Looks
As mentioned, Snapchat’s lenses and filters let girls see themselves with different hairstyles, makeup looks, and styles. This allows them to play around with their appearance and explore what looks they feel best reflect who they are.
Showing Different Sides of Themselves
Everyone shows different sides of themselves in different contexts. Snapchat allows girls to show silly, serious, dolled-up, casual, and other sides of themselves across different snaps. They can explore expressing all their different moods and facets.
Practicing Flirting
For girls interested in dating and relationships, Snapchat can be a safer space to practice flirting skills. They can experiment with sending cute selfies, bantering over chat, and maintaining streaks with crushes. This helps them figure out how to interact with romantic interests.
Finding Common Interests
By sharing photos and chatting about hobbies on Snapchat, girls can find others with common interests. Making friends who share their passions helps girls learn more about their own identities.
Parents Have Concerns About Snapchat
While girls love Snapchat for all the reasons above, many parents have concerns about their daughters’ use of the platform. Some common worries parents have about Snapchat include:
Bullying
Since snaps disappear, bullying on Snapchat can be hard for parents to identify. Girls may feel harassed through disappearing messages.
Sexual Content
The perceived privacy of Snapchat has led to issues with some teens sharing sexually explicit photos or sexting on the platform.
Location Sharing
Location sharing features on Snapchat can raise safety concerns if girls reveal too much about their locations.
Addiction
Some parents worry their daughters are addicted to Snapchat and compulsively Snapchatting instead of focusing on other aspects of their lives.
Unrealistic Self-Image
Heavy use of Snapchat filters and glorification of beauty on the platform can lead girls to feel insecure about their real-life appearance.
Time Suck
Parents may see Snapchat as an unnecessary time waster keeping girls distracted from responsibilities.
Girls Say Snapchat Is Empowering
While parents have worries, many girls report feeling that Snapchat is actually empowering. They cite these aspects of Snapchat as being positive:
Body Positivity
The playful filters on Snapchat allow girls to appreciate their appearance in a lighthearted way, rather than overly criticizing their looks like on other platforms.
Self-Expression
Girls say Snapchat allows them to freely express themselves, share their lives, and find their voices.
Friendship Building
Snapchat helps girls forge deeper bonds with their friends through silly content and real conversations.
Exploring Identity
Girls can safely try on different styles, sides of themselves, and interests on Snapchat as they develop their identities.
Control Over Images
Girls have more control over their images on Snapchat since snaps disappear. This prevents photos being taken out of context.
Overall, many girls find Snapchat to be an empowering and positive platform in their lives.
Conclusion
Snapchat has become wildly popular with teenage girls and young women for good reason. The fun, informal communication style allows girls to express themselves, bond with friends, and explore their identities. While parents have some valid concerns about the platform, many girls ultimately find Snapchat to be an empowering and positive social media platform in their lives. They love Snapchat for the freedom and friendship it facilitates.