Snapchat: A space for intimate and boundary-pushing transactions

Abstract

This article explores how young adults negotiate gender relations and intimate boundaries through the smartphone app, Snapchat. We build on an empirical study based on interviews and a quantitative questionnaire distributed among young Danes. Our findings suggest that the key affordance of Snapchat (its default deletion) creates ‘in between spaces’ as it incites a high degree of boundary-pushing content. The way the content pushes boundaries varies across genders, but a common characteristic is that the content is more intimate and with less facade than what is usually shared on other social media. At the same time, we find that young males and females to some extend use Snapchat in different ways and with different kinds of content, though for the same overall purpose; Snapchat constitutes their ‘in between space’ where they can test boundaries and uphold social relations by exchanging personal, unveiled behind-the-facade content.