Is snapchat just plain stupid?

[rumdude]

I can see nothing worthwhile about it.

[dawg]

1. But ... you can sext someone ...

and the pictures disappear!

(Or, at least that's what they want you to think.)

[rumdude]

2. Gimmick

[NewJeffCT]

3. yeah, I don't quite get it

tweens and teens seem to love it, though.

[Orrex]

4. You can take pictures of yourself telling kids to get off of your lawn

[rumdude]

5. I'm not that old - besides, no one needs snapchat to do that

So what does it offer that is not already out there? Vanishing photos, filters? A novelty that will soon wear off?

[Orrex]

6. Honestly, I don't get it either

Twitter is useless to me, as well.

I set up an account a while back, and all I got was celebrity bullshit and suggestions on how to spend more money more easily.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

8. Now there's a champion analysis if ever I read one.

[dawg]

9. Twitter can be useful, you just need to carefully choose who you follow.

I follow Paul Krugman, Robert Reich, a few Wall Street type guys who aren't overbearing conservatives, and a few random others that tweet about things that are pertinent to my life.

Often, I get important news that way before it hits the networks or DU.

[Orrex]

10. Still...

What am I going to get from Krugman--whom I like--that's so immediately vital that I couldn't possibly wait to find out about it when I go online an hour later? Is he going to tweet to warn me about the killer in my basement?

Nothing goes on in my local community that requires that kind of instantaneous notification or, even if it did, there's no one in position to deliver that news.

And anything of national or catastrophic urgency will be communicated pretty quickly in 1,000 different ways, so twitter offers me no advantage there.

I get it, though; twitter's hugely profitable and hugely popular, but the reasons that it's popular and profitable are of no value to me.

[dawg]

11. I'm a bit of a stock trader, so it can be helpful to find out business news ...

almost as soon as the big boys hear about it. I know I'm always at an informational disadvantage with Wall Street, but Twitter and other modern tools lessen that disadvantage substantially.

Plus, you can find out about things you might not hear about elsewhere. For instance, if you love a band that isn't popular enough to get mentions in the mainstream media. Or if you have a weird hobby.

I used to think Twitter was really worthless. I still think it's worthless for outgoing messages! But as an information aggregator, I have come to appreciate its potential.

[Orrex]

12. I can see that

Having no active hand in the market, that particular benefit is lost on me, but I can see how it would work for others.

[Skittles]

13. it's the immediate gratification thing

people just don't want to wait for ANYTHING anymore

[Orrex]

14. WHY DIDN'T YOU POST THAT EIGHT HOURS AGO!!!!!!!1!

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

7. IMNSHO it's about equal to facebook....

...so yes, but I've never seen it. For me social media belongs with reality TV... somewhere else.

[Phentex]

15. Please watch this and tell me what you think: