"Snapchat is more personal": An exploratory study on Snapchat behaviors and young adult interpersonal relationships
- Vaterlaus, J. Mitchell [ Montana State University: Health & Human Development ]
- Barnett, Kathryn [ Montana State University: Health & Human Development ]
- Roche, Cesia [ College of Education, Counseling and School Psychology, University of Nebraska ]
- Young, Jimmy A. [ College of Education, Health & Human Services, Department of Social Work, California State University ]
Snapchat is a social media platform that allows users to send images, videos, and text with a specified amount of time for the receiver(s) to view the content before it becomes permanently inaccessible to the receiver. Using focus group methodology and in-depth interviews, the current study sought to understand young adult (18–23 years old; n = 34) perceptions of how Snapchat behaviors influenced their interpersonal relationships (family, friends, and romantic). Young adults indicated that Snapchat served as a double-edged sword—a communication modality that could lead to relational challenges, but also facilitate more congruent communication within young adult interpersonal relationships.