Snapchatters can now Discover

By Courtenay Modeste

BELLEVILLE – Look out Facebook and Twitter, Snapchat is taking over.

Snapchat is a way to stay connected and see what friends and family are doing. A recent update allows users to view snaps from people all over the world at significant events such as sporting events, festivals, and parades.

The free app was developed by three Stanford University students in Los Angeles, California in 2011. Those who download it are able to share ten seconds of pictures, video, text and even drawings with friends and family. Snapchat now has more than 700 million active Apple and Android users.

Snapchat started with photo messaging or “snaps” that users could send to friends and family for up to ten seconds. The snap can also be displayed on a user’s story (collection of snaps that are taken thoughout the day) But the snaps don’t last for long. After 24 hours, they’re deleted from the app’s servers and can never be seen again.

As of January 27, 2015, Snapchat became a news source. Team Snapchat introduced a news feed called Discover. The Snapchat team uses social media to determine the most recent and popular news. It lets people navigate the stories and tap on the ones they want to view  or “discover”. The Food Network, MTV, and National Geographic are three of the 12 media outlets that partnered with Snapchat to release new mini editions of what is popular now.