Snapchat Became one of the Largest Social Media Platforms in 2012

Snapchat has become one of the largest mobile apps in the world. The app was originally released under the name Picaboo in 2011, but after a cease and desist order from another company, the creators changed the name to Snapchat in 2012. The app exploded in that same year. It was the first of its kind to send pictures that leave your screen as fast as they are received. In their first blog post, creator Evan Spiegel said, “Snapchat isn’t about capturing the traditional kodak moment. It’s about communication with a full range of human emotion—not just what appears to be pretty and perfect.” 2012 was also the year Snapchat added videos to the platform. This invited more advertisers to use the app through commercial-like ads and influencer videos fit for smartphones. In November of 2012, Snapchat had 20,000 users, and by the spring of 2013 it had 100,000 users. Flash forward to 2019—Snapchat produced 1.3 trillion snaps and now has over 200 million users worldwide. Its content might come and go in an instant, but Snapchat is here to stay.​