Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has deleted all of his tweets, likely in an effort to explain the importance of Snapchat.
Ephemeral messaging service Snapchat has significantly grown in popularity since its debut and users rely on it particularly for its ephemeral aspect, which involves deleting messages shortly after they're sent and seen.
Spiegel wants the world to understand why Snapchat plays an important role in how people communicate nowadays.
In a low-resolution YouTube video called 'What is Snapchat?' Spiegel explains how the app focuses on the present, instead of recording digital tidbits of people's past. Focusing on the present is at the core of Snapchat, and Spiegel apparently can't do that properly with a digital archive of his past Twitter posts.
The executive deleted all of his tweets as part of an effort to highlight a new vision on identity as mirrored by the social media. In the video, Spiegel explains how the social media has changed how photos are being used. While in the past photos served as tools for saving memories and marking major moments, today they are means of expressing current moods and moments. People now talk through images.
Spiegel explains that the photos people previously shared on social media used to reflect identity as "everything I have ever done," whereas instant expression has a more temporary and ephemeral touch: "my identity is who I am right now." Snapchat is all about instant expression.
"He just really prefers to live in the present," a Snapchat spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), confirming that Spiegel has indeed deleted all of his tweets.
Echoing the CEO's move, Snapchat co-founder Bobby Murphy chose to delete all of his tweets as well. On the other hand, this doesn't seem to be a new company-wide policy, as none of the tweets are missing from the main Snapchat account on Twitter.
Spiegel could plan to use Twitter like Snapchat from now on, posting various tweets only to delete them afterwards and replace them with new ones, or could plan to use only Snapchat. Either way, the move is widely seen as a statement for highlighting the relevance of Snapchat.
To learn more about the ephemeral messaging service, check out Spiegel's vision on current expression and communication trends in the video below.
