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Made for Sharing Teacher Backgrounder

Use this chapter to identify this app’s features and how those encourage you to share more personal information.

In the table below, list the app’s features in the left-hand column. Some features describe a general action you can take (like sharing a photo) and others describe something more specific to that app (like sending a disappearing photo with Snapchat).

Make sure you think about:

  • Filling in your profile
  • Sharing posts, photos and videos
  • Controlling who sees what
  • Responding to and sharing other people’s posts, photos and videos
  • How other people respond to what you post (likes, shares, etc.)
  • How the app responds to what you and/or your friends post (Snapchat streaks, for example)

For each of the features, write in the middle whether it is a default feature, whether it is easy to do, or whether it is hard to do. (In general, something that takes just one or two taps or clicks is easy to do; something that takes three or more is hard to do.)

For instance, friends may see you story by default on Snapchat. It is easy to send a Snap and hard to change your default privacy settings.

In the right-hand column, write down how you think those features – and whether they are default, easy, or hard to do – affect how much of your personal information you share. Don’t think just about your own personal information, but your friends’ as well!

Here we will use Snapchat as an example so you can guide students’ analysis and discussion.

Feature Default, easy, or hard? Effect on privacy
Share a Snap Easy You’re encouraged to share more content
Accept friend request Easy You’re encouraged to accept people as friends without thinking about it
Change privacy settings Hard You’re discouraged from changing your default privacy settings
Make a copy of a Snap Hard (there are ways of making a copy of a Snap with other apps, but not with Snapchat) You’re discouraged from sharing other people’s Snaps
Snapchat Streak (a “fire” icon with the number one next to it appears when two friends have sent a Snap back and forth within 24 hours. Every day the number goes up unless one of you doesn’t send a Snap within 24 hours. If that happens the streak is over.) Default (you don’t have to do anything to start a Snap Streak) You’re encouraged to share something with each of your friends every day, to keep the streak going.
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