Snapchat’s rise to social media prominence has been fascinating to witness. According to Adweek, the app now has “an estimated 200 million monthly active users and 100 million daily active users, which puts it ahead of all of its other competitors after four years.” Primarily used by ages 13 to 25, the service is currently valued at more than $15 billion. Not bad for a sexting app, right? But, in reality, Snapchat isn’t used as much for (un)solicited dick pics as it is to send “funny content” between friends. Those who do use the app love it for its relatively simple way of sending photos, videos, messages, and watching sponsored “stories” by companies like Cosmo, IGN, Comedy Central, Vice, National Geographic, and BuzzFeed, among others.
Speaking of BuzzFeed, the site has posted a cringeworthy story about one man’s journey to learn more about Snapchat from his 13-year-old sister who he describes as “the most prolific Snapchat user I’ve ever seen.” His sister Brooke and her friend Elsbeth, who she commonly refers to as Elsbitch, give the 29-year-old writer a rundown of their day-to-day app usage, teach him “how to Snapchat like a boss,” and give a general idea of what life is like for teens today.
The biggest takeaway is probably the fact that you can’t compete with teens when it comes to Snapchat. “That app is my life,” says Brooke. “Parents don’t understand. It’s about being there in the moment.” (YOLO.)