The Internet can be a terribly strange and confusing place, full of both wonder and disappointment. The world of social media in particular can feel like it is in a constant state of flux. Facebook is very different today than when I joined it nearly a decade ago. It’s hard to believe that I joined Twitter eight years ago. And while I may be a little late to the face-swapping party, I’ve now hopped aboard the Snapchat train. And I don’t know what I’m doing.
My relationship with the Internet and social media is perhaps a complex one. I can be both an early adopter and a brooding Luddite, avoiding change and clinging to the “good old days.” I thought Twitter was stupid the first time I heard about it. Who wants to read about your mundane, everyday life? Of course, it has since evolved into a great marketing and networking tool.
It seems like many of these top social networks start out as a niche curiosity. That was the case with Instagram and Vine and Periscope, until businesses and brands realized just how powerful these platforms can be. Some may be little more than a flash in the pan, forgotten and neglected soon after the initial hype, but others grow into so much more. And the latter appears to be the case with Snapchat.
I had dismissed Snapchat as one of those “stupid” apps for kids these days. It’s nothing more than a place for illicit sexting between teens who think that their messages really do disappear after they’ve been seen, I thought. But now it’s more. It’s a marketing tool, a place to reach a demographic that has grown increasingly ad-blind. And those silly filters and lenses can be funny.
Realistically, the only reason I joined Snapchat was because I am one of the resident social media experts for one of my client’s websites. I can’t write about Snapchat unless I’m actually on it, right? So, I joined, fiddled around, read a few tutorials and wrote a couple of Snapchat-related articles. I’m not hooked, but I am bumbling my way around Snapchat just about every day.
In any case, I invite you to add me on Snapchat. I’m MichaelKwanBTR on there, because I joined the party too late and “michaelkwan” was already taken. While I might cross-post some of the content to Twitter or Instagram, much of my Snapchat adventures will be exclusive to the platform, 24 hours at a time.
I promise there will be no sexting, but I can’t promise there will be no rainbow puke.
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