(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
AUSTIN, Texas–Now you see it, now you don’t. That’s the playful logic behind Snapchat, a mobile application, popular with teens, for sending disappearing photo messages to friends. But the application’s success may be more rooted in a growing collective conscious around the idea that we’re always being watched.
Former Vice President Al Gore told attendees at the South by Southwest Interactive festival, during an animated and often politically charged discussion with journalist Walt Mossberg, that Snapchat’s success is likely linked to people reaching their digital gaging points.
We live in a stalker economy, Gore said. “The stalker economy, I hope, is causing people to reach a gag point.”
Al Gore namedrops Snapchat: “clearly part of its appeal is that it erases the risk of that permanent record.” #StalkerEconomy @sxsw
— Joshua Ostroff (@joshuaostroff) March 9, 2013 In essence, Snapchat represents that retch point — but for a different reason than you’d probably expect, considering the application’s sexting reputation. The service, which recently raised … [Read more]