Yesterday I got a Snapchat tutorial from a 10 year old

[dragonfly]

lol. She showed me some sweet tricks. But apparently I'm old now and none of my friends can figure it out either, or why we'd want to Snapchat instead of plain old text.

[Kiwi]

I'm behind with a lot of it - snapchat, instagram, twitter. But I'm good, I can do what I want/need.

[zombienixon]

I only recently figured out what Snapchat even was. I don't really see any use for it, personally. I'm surprised that a 10 year old has a smartphone, although I guess I shouldn't be.

[Shileah]

I don't get Snapchat. A lot of my social contact happens online, and I'm an excessive Facebook user. I do have a twitter, but I rarely use it really. Mostly for work and sports related stuff lately. I have a small Twitch channel and youtube, but they are also work related. I've started a tumblr blog last year (for once it has nothing to do with work!), but it took me a few months to really get started with it. It seems like I am on a good way here, at least I've gotten a lot more interactions and follower in the last weeks  But Snapchat? Who would even want to see pictures of me? My life isn't exceptionally interesting.

It sounded odd to me at first that a 10 year old gives a tutorial on Snapchat, but then I asked myself if I was able to explain Snapchat, and I am not. 'It's an online service, you post a picture - usually a selfie - with a caption and your followers can see it, but only for a short amount of time, then it gets auto deleted, which is why many people take a screenshot of it, and the sender gets a note that they did' - this is what I think I know about Snapchat, and I am sure it is either completely wrong or I am missing half of what it is about. - What is it about, anyway?! I can see that celebrities do it, because it's actually interesting, or at least people that have an interesting life - but your everyday Jim and Jane? I'm probably too old for it. If I was a teen now, I'd probably use it all the time.

[HelloGoodbye]

Not gonna lie I'm a snapchat addict
My friends and I use it as kind of a substitute for texting so we can add in dorky selfies haha.  Also it's pretty fun that you can "draw" on your snapchats because we have a game where we draw on our pictures to turn ourselves into characters.  We have some really great Harry Potter ones!

I also like it because it's also a quick way to let someone know you're thinking about them.  Like there's someone I'm friends with who I always send pictures of owl related things to.  Or my best friend always gets a video snap whenever I'm at a cosplay meet up because I always tell everyone to say "HI!" to her really loudly and it's just a cute little video for her.

Before I got snapchat, I was pretty unconvinced of its utility or fun, but now I really love it.  I have one friend that I have become wayyyy closer to because of snapchat.  I met him at an anime convention, but he lives pretty far away from me.  We'd talk on facebook sometimes, but now that we both have snapchat we talk every day. 

[lovesbabysquirmy]

So it's kind of like when one tried to make the answering machine message fun!  I used to have elaborate scripted mysteries that a caller had to figure out when to start talking with...

I just recently was given possession of a phone for work but other than that I haven't had a cell phone in 7 years so I am  no help in the "Wait! Let me take a Selfie!" department...

[ashes]

I just recently signed up for a Snapchat account as well, and I don't get the point of it either.  I mean if I want someone to know I'm thinking about them or need to chat, I'll send a text, call, or email.  And I can send pictures with texts or emails.  But I guess there is that whole disappearing thing that Snapchat was known and popular for.

[Beldarna]

I use snapchat frequently. For me and my friends it's more like we see something we want to show others but it's not important enough to send as a picture so we use Snapchat, that way they see it but it wont clog up their phone. It's mainly pictures of cats, flowers, the weather and similar.

[kaoskat]

Don't look at me. I don't even know what it is......

[dragonfly]

She's in fifth grade! She says everyone in her class has a cell phone. Her dad gave her one, her mom wasn't too happy about it. I woke up today with like 20 snaps from her. I sent her a snap of my dog. lol.

[Rainbowrific Renia]

I'd like to think I'm well versed in social media, but Snapchat isn't for me! I prefer Instagram.

Still, crazy to think that a 10 year old can be that good with this sort of stuff. I'm only 25, but I feel so old when I think about how I didn't get my first cell phone until I was 15 and that was only because I participated in a lot of after school activities.

When I was 10, the only thing I used the internet for was Neopets.

Oh, but my mom recently got Snapchat and she came over to my house the other day to use the treadmill. A little while after she began walking, I got a text from my sister. "Please tell ma to chill with the pictures". My mom was Snapchatting everyone her treadmill stats while she was exercising.

[Shileah]

This buzzfeed story went through my FB feed this morning and I had to think of this thread immediately. 700 texts a day?? http://www.buzzfeed.com/benrosen/how-to-snapchat-like-the-teens#.rhPo4vBLzE

[melodys_angel]

I have no idea what that is, and if its smartphone related, I don't care.

im not 'that' old. And I don't need a phone to connect with my life.

Actually im not happy to hear that a 10 year old apparently has one..what are the parents thinking?!

[Hervoyel]

Actually im not happy to hear that a 10 year old apparently has one..what are the parents thinking?!

They want to be able to get in touch with their kid when they're out? And let them has a device that does the duty of a handheld gaming device and a camera and a calculator all at once?

In my social circle it's fairly common for people to upgrade their phones and pass the old ones along to their kids - I don't see the problem. Personally, since I don't live in the same country as my family,  kids having smart phones means I hear more from my nieces and nephews than I ever would if I could only talk to them on their parents land lines, and I think that's brilliant.

[melodys_angel]

To each their own, though I feel obligated to defend myself a bit.

This ofcorse is IMHO and what ive actually experienced.

I come from the age of having a phone for emergency purposes only (hey ill be late, finished class early, or im done, you able to come and get me?  Or Hey we made it here ok, you don't have to worry about us).  Even just quick 2-3 minute how was your day but that's all that was really needed. (its a cell phone! You want to talk for longer then that? Use a landline)

The last phone I got, the smart phones were 'just' starting to come in. It was maybe 30/70 whether you got one or not..they were still pretty expensive and not all the shinies were set in stone.  Texting was just starting to surface if I remember right.

Heres what I see:
Kids, that are way too young to own something meant to communicate details with someone, that are on their pones and NOT PAYING ATTENTION.  Don't give a kittys behind what anyone outside their bubble does, and often is in danger of getting hit by traffic or bumping into something that results into some kind of snowball effect, then getting their parents to try to get them out of it without learning or caring.

Ofcorse not all kids are oblivious or obnoxious, and I see my fair share of adults doing the same thing. But it seems like trying to pry away something they are connected to every single second would be the equivalent to ripping an arm off.  Not many understand that there is a time to use a phone, and there is a time to put the thing away--your circle of friends will still be there after you reach your destination.

The other point im driving home is the cost of up keeping a phone.  When I had mine, I could load in $10/month and I got by fine.  What 10 year old kid works more then odds and ends here or there at best? What 10 year old kid has the funds and responsibility of keeping a plan that is 3-6 times what I paid when I was in college? And if the parents pay for this, what are they realistically teaching their kids?

Lets also be real, here.  How often are the parents going to call their kids without being a distraction to the parents work or the kids in school?  Maybe if they had a phone, sure, but if they didn't both parent and kid will still survive fine.  We all did.  And places still have courtesy phones in the event the kid has to be picked up or the like (In my family, we planned around times.  If one person was later by 10 minutes, its not the end of the world.)