Transnationalism is defined as a phenomenon where there is high interconnectivity among people, which in turn undermines the economic and social significance of physical boundaries. Transnationalism happens in various ways such as economic, political and cultural boundaries. This paper focuses on the socio-cultural concept of transnationalism. Socio-cultural transnationalism widely covers cultural exchange of ideas and meanings. Such socio-cultural exchanges happen when people visit other countries. Sometimes non-immigrants visit their friends and family living in the receiving country. There are, however, increasing correspondence of other agents such as emails, telephone calls, text messaging, and online chat sessions. According to Iris-Aya (262), there is a global culture emerging all around the world today. He argues that it is mainly American in origin, contents and structures. American culture may not be the only culture influencing everyone around the world, but it is the most dominant one. In different cultural domains, there are globalization tendencies. Leading researchers believe that the dismantling of territories is the main driving force of globalization in the modern world. This process is not new. Local cultures have been influenced by the past and shaped, the current form of globalization is different due to the dramatic increase of images, material foods, which leads to the new formation of cultures and hybridization. Technology has accelerated the rate of which information reached the whole world. An example is the Manga and anime, which are among the most popular genres in modern American culture. According to Iris-Aya (262), the local comic books are losing their appeal to the young American audience.
Since the world is constantly changing, people need a new way to connect with others elsewhere. As development goes on, people, later in life may start drifting apart, and therefore, it is important to find a way to do so. Mobile technology has drastically increased over the past years. Innovators have taken advantage of the mobile technology and are coming up with platforms that will enable people to maintain their personal touch even if they are miles apart. Such platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Google Plus and many others. Facebook is a popular platform and has maintained its popularity since its invention in 2005. However, this paper seeks to look at Snapchat since it has drastically improved in popularity since it is relatively new and has been able to overtake some of the best application. Snapchat provides a unique way to share moments through photographs and videos. It is similar to Instagram, but its popularity caught up with that of Instagram. The essay seeks to answer what makes Snapchat so popular considering there are platforms that are older and similar to it. Its uniqueness has attracted attention from users all over the world
The popularity of culture is not only in art forms such as music and art, but inventions are also part of culture and creativity that become popular all around the world. There are various platforms, for instance, that have gained popularity all over the world. Good examples include Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Snapchat is a good example of an application that has improved over the years. According to the Daily Mirror, the application is used by a third of the population aged between 18- 24. The application has overtaken Twitter and is currently the third most popular application around the world. The application’s popularity is also growing among the population aged between 25 and 34 years old (Daily Mail).
There are reasons Snapchat is so popular and is continuing to gain popularity. Snapchat allows users to have a good personal experience. When one is exchanging photos with someone, it is personal since it allows one to share a moment with friends and family. It is also very socially engaging. Users receive push notifications when they receive a photo or video. They, therefore, go back to the application often. It is also very fast in sharing moments. The application is designed in such a way that the user activates the camera once they open the applications. One does not have to navigate through options to share a video or a picture. It is fast and convenient. The application also reduces inhibitions to share a moment through video or a picture. The content posted lasts only for a short time. Thus, one is not very conscious of what he or she posted online for others to see. This is quite a significant difference from Instagram since its users will see the photo for quite some time. It is one of the reasons Snapchat is popular. Users can post even some of the most embracing moments, and still not worry. Additionally, unlike Instagram, Snapchat users share the moments with only chosen friends, which reduces friction.
Apart from culture and art, other creative inventions make their way across cultures. This may be due to a universal interest. Snapchat is an example of creation that captures universal interest. People enjoy sharing moments even when they are not together. People also enjoy keeping their personal touch, and that is what platforms such as Snapchat do.
Work Cited
Daily Mail. The Daily Mail. 12 Aug 2014. www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2722816. 30 3 2016.
Higbee, Will and Song Lim. “Concepts of transnational cinema: towards a critical transnationalism in film studies.” pp. 7–21 Intellect Limited 2010 (2010): 7-21. Print.
Iris-Aya, Laemmerhirt. “Embracing Differences Transnational Cultural Flows between Japan and the United States.” Bielefeld (2013): 262. Print.
