Review: Communication Apps
Apps I Use to Connect with Others
App # 1 for Personal,
Pedagogical, or Professional Use—GroupMe
GroupMe is the chosen app for communication for the women in our family’s small group at church. Originally, we use the app to discuss plans for our weekly homebased meetings, but the experience developed into more frequent communication that has helped build relationships and foster community. We connect regularly on the app by sharing prayer requests, seeking and sharing advice, celebrating life events, and encouraging one another. I have also used GroupMe to communicate in temporary groups to plan certain events.
App # 2 for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use—TikTok
During distance learning in 2020, I began using TikTok to connect with my students. I posted on the app where some students saw my videos and commented, and I also shared my content with all students on Canvas. This form of communication helped maintain relationships and created an element of fun during a stressful time. I chose not to follow or comment on any of my students’ accounts, but they could view my content created specifically for their class.
App # 3 for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use—Seesaw
Seesaw connects students, teachers, and parents by providing a platform for students to show learning in a digital portfolio. Teachers can gain insights into the student’s understanding of material to guide further instruction. They can also communicate through comments and liking posts. Parents are also able to connect with students by seeing what they are working on, commenting through the app, and driving further conversations about learning at home. Through Seesaw, I can communicate with my student and his teacher.
Concerning Apps for School Age Children
App
# 1-Snapchat
Description
Snapchat is an application
(app) which allows users to communicate visually with “snaps” which are pictures
and short videos (Tietz & Cainas, 2018). It differs from other social
medial apps in that sent snaps exist only temporarily, as they disappear
seconds after being viewed. Snapchat’s quick, real-time communication is
appealing to younger users. Over three billion snaps are sent by 218 million
users on Snapchat daily (Parker, 2020).
Warnings
One risk is that Snapchat
users develop a false sense of security based on the idea the images are temporary.
This leads to an increase in sending vulnerable or hurtful messages one would not
otherwise send, such as bullying and sexting snaps. In reality, recipients can screenshot
or capture the snap with another device, so nothing is guaranteed to be temporary
(Parker, 2020).
When two users exchange
back-and-forth communication each day for three days, they achieve a streak. This
gamification of snapchat keeps adolescents actively and emotionally involved
with the app (Hristova, 2020). Sending snaps to maintain streaks, often with
ten or more people, means that content shared is not always high-quality
communication. This involves users being highly engaged with the app but not connecting
with people in a meaningful way. Experts worry about the social pressure on
teens who identify streaks as a measurement of friendship (Parker, 2020).
Additionally, it is easy
for users under the age of thirteen to access Snapchat against policy. Executives
for the app have acknowledged that their age-verification process is
ineffective at preventing underage users from creating an account (Hamilton,
2019).
Safeguards
For parents, the best
safeguard is to communicate with your child or teen about the risks of having a
false sense of security online (Parker, 2020). Snapchat can be a fun and
engaging way of communicating with certain standards for use in place. Parents should
ensure privacy settings remain in the default “My Friends,” limiting
communication to only users they know, and turn off location tracking settings.
Parents should also discuss the legal and emotional consequences of bullying
and sexting.
Educators can utilize Snapchat
to engage students in a relevant manner. With accounting professors, Tiets and
Cainas (2018) used Snaptchat to connect with students by posting snaps aimed at
illustrating real-life accounting examples, reinforcing key concepts, reminding
students about due dates, interacting with students, answering student questions,
and sharing professional activities. They are mindful of student privacy and
share their usage policies in the course syllabus. Participation on Snapchat is
optional for students, but many appreciate the connection outside of class.
Link to the app and other
helpful resources
Snapchat - The fastest way to share a moment!
Snapchat App
Review (commonsensemedia.org)
A
Parent’s Guide to Snapchat.docx (connectsafely.org)
App
# 2-WhatsApp
Description
WhatsApp is a free
messaging app that uses internet data to send messages, photos, and videos or
make video calls with individuals and groups (Birdsong, 2020). It is convenient
to use and a valuable resource to use when traveling internationally. WhatsApp
features include a broadcast feature to send a message to many recipients who
can only reply to sender, a status feature to send temporary messages like Snapchat,
and built-in encryption to keep messaging secure. WhatsApp is extremely popular
with eight hundred million active users each month (internetmatters.org).
Warnings
While WhatsApp’s encryption
provides greater security than other communication apps, it is still susceptible
to breaches (Birdsong, 2020). Users, young people especially, enjoy employing
hacks in WhatsApp which can
Children and teens are
susceptible to the same risks as other forms of online communication. Because
WhatsApp messages may be less monitored by parents than text messaging through
a phone service, it presents an increased risk of sexting or bullying.
Safeguards
Parents should be aware
of the app’s presence on their child’s phone and monitor communication on WhatsApp.
They can also manage settings to limit posts to “My Friends” instead of “Everyone”
and turn off location tagging (internetmatters.org).
With correct methods of
use, WhatsApp can be used for academic purposes in higher education. Zulkanian
et al. (2020) conducted a study that utilized standards and measured results in
three areas of a class group on WhatsApp: cognitive presence, social presence, and
teaching presence. They found that adopting social networks, such as WhatsApp,
for pedagogical purposes with a framework in place is a promising opportunity.
Link to the app and/or
other helpful resources.
WhatsApp
Messenger App Review (commonsensemedia.org)
Is
WhatsApp Safe for Kids? Here’s What Parents Need to Know | McAfee Blogs
App
# 3-Discord
Description
Discord is a communication
app that is popular among gamers but is also used by people outside of the gaming
community to connect with others who have similar interests (Mazura, 2019). It allows
text, images, video, and audio communication.
Warnings
With its rise in
popularity, there have been claims of poor product management, privacy issues,
and spread of malware through malicious links (Mazura, 2019). It has higher
cybersecurity risks than other communication apps, but because of its niche
popularity, users continue to engage on the app.
Discord users also
encounter adult content, including graphic and sexual content, with little regulation
of age-based access (Zapal, 2019). Individuals can create servers, which
function as chat rooms, with no oversight from Discord over the content posted
or who joins.
The real-time audio
communication on Discord makes more likely for minors to build trust with whom
they are talking to, and according to police, it makes it difficult for track
criminal activity (Hollenbeck, 2019). After multiple arrests, Pinellas County
Police warn of the risk of children meeting predators on Discord.
Safeguards
Discord’s website
encourages parents to have discussions with their teenagers and review the
settings on their app (Discord). They recommend selecting the “Keep me safe”
setting under “Safe Direct Messaging” in the “Privacy & Safety” menu. This
allows for all messages to be scanned for explicit media content. Parents can
also block direct messages from anyone not on the user’s fiends list and limit friend
requests to friends of friends. Discord also provides a contact to delete teen
accounts without having access to their email or password which may be
necessary in some parenting decisions.
Educators at the University
of Alaska who began to use Discord to provide online tutoring, found that
students began to also use the app to socialize, find study partners, and other
community-building activities (Mock, 2010). It is always advisable for
responsible usage policies to be in place in such programs.
Link to the app and/or
other helpful resources
Discord | Your Place to Talk and Hang Out
Discord App Review
(commonsensemedia.org)
Tips
for Parents on Helping Your Teen Stay Safe on Discord
App
# 4-myLOL
Description
MyLOL is a dating app
that is marketed to teenagers with users being between the ages thirteen and nineteen
(Nieman, 2017). Users create a profile which includes pictures and location,
and then vote on others’ profiles based on attraction (Smart Social). By voting
and matching with other members, users earn credits, which are used to see who
has voted on their profile. In addition to being a dating site, myLOL offers
space for personal blogs and chatrooms (Bogetic, 2019).
Warnings
Just as minors falsify their
age to access other age-restricted apps, adults can do the same to access myLOL
(Nieman, 2017). The app allows private messaging from strangers and makes it
easy for predators to anonymously target teenagers (Smart Social). In general, posts
are highly sexual in nature (Bogetic, 2019).
Safeguards
Parents should discuss
their teenagers’ desire to use the app and the risks associated. This app is
not appropriate for its intended audience, as teenagers should not communicate
with strangers online.
There is no educational
benefit for myLOL, but the teaching of safe internet practices should cover the
potential risks involved on such platform.
Link to the app and/or
other helpful resources
Teen Dating - MyLOL - Teen APP
MyLOL App Review
(commonsensemedia.org)
App
# 5-Whisper
Description
Whisper is an anonymous communication
app that encourages users to post secrets and confessions and ask for advice without
fear on the open and honest platform (Harwell, 2020). Users must report that
they are over the age of seventeen to create a Whisper account (Saletta, 2017).
The posts are meme-like in that words can be displayed in different fonts on top
of pictures provided on the app or by the user. Other users can like, follow,
and comment, and when trying the app, journalist Lindsey Salitta (2017) said it
was “understandably appealing” to receive likes from an audience of strangers
who have no obligation to interact with you like friends on other social media
platforms.
Warnings
There are risks of
exposure despite the app’s anonymity (Saletta, 2017). By connecting with people
close to your location, there is a risk of being identified by other users near
you. Additionally, in a 2020 data leak, millions of users’ secret confessions,
location information, and age were exposed (Harwell, 2020).
The emotional risk of making
vulnerable posts on the internet is great (Saletta, 2017). The same
confidentiality that the poster has when expressing themself on Whisper is
enjoyed by the users who reply to those comments. Negative responses and
bullying are common. Risks of self-harm and suicidal have been linked to similar
anonymous sites (SaferKid). Whisper has also been used by sexual predators to
communicate with minors, whether that involve sexting or arranging to meet.
Safeguards
Parents should not allow
children and teens to use the Whisper app. Having a conversation about why they
feel they need to use the app is a good place to start, and then find other
outlets for them to express themselves openly.
Whisper does not have any
educational benefit for use in schools, but teachers can address safe digital
citizenship and be aware and any emotional distress or bullying students are
experiencing to guide them to help. Because of the location data available and local
groups that can be created, school leaders should monitor what is posted in the
area.
Link to the app and/or
other helpful resources
Whisper
- Share, Express, Meet on the App Store (apple.com)
Whisper
- Share, Express, Meet App Review (commonsensemedia.org)
Whisper App
Review for Parents and Caring Adults | Protect Young Eyes
Bogetic,
K. (2010). Stylized quotations as parodic practice in teenage dating blogs:
Stylized patterns, quotative marking and language-ideological meanings. Belgrade
English Language & Literature Studies, 11, 45-68. https://doi.org/10.18485/bells.2019.11.2
Discord.
Helping your teen stay safe on discord. https://discord.com/safety/360044153831-Helping-your-teen-stay-safe-on-Discord
Hristova,
D., Dumit, J., Lieberoth, A., & Slunecko, T. (2020, April 1-3). Snapchat
streaks: How adolescents metagame gamification in social media [Conference presentation].
GamiFIN Conference 2020, Levi, Finland. http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2637/paper13.pdf
Hamilton,
I. A. (2019, March 19). Snapchat admits its age verification safeguards are
effectively useless. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-says-its-age-verification-safeguards-are-effectively-useless-2019-3
Harwell,
D. (2020, March 10). Secret-sharing app Whisper left users’ location,
fetishes exposed on the Web. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/10/secret-sharing-app-whisper-left-users-locations-fetishes-exposed-web/
Hollenbeck,
S. (2019, January 15). Deputies warn parents about Discord app potential
dangers. ABC Action News. https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/deputies-warn-parents-about-discord-app-potential-dangers
Internet
Matters. (2021). WhatsApp social media guide. https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/whatsapp-safety-a-how-to-guide-for-parents/
Mazura,
J. (2019, December 5). Discord security and privacy issues in 2021. Cybernews.
https://cybernews.com/privacy/discord-privacy-tips-that-you-should-use/
Mock,
K. (2019). Experiences using Discord as Platform for Online Tutoring and
Building a CS Community. Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on
Computer Science Education, 1284–1284. https://doi.org/10.1145/3287324.3293769
Nieman,
L. (2017, February 25). What no one tells parents about the dating app MyLOL. Leah
Nieman: Getting Real in a Digital World. https://leahnieman.com/dating-app-MyLOL/
Parker,
W. (2020). The dark side of snapchat and teens. Verywell Family https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-snapchat-and-its-use-1270338
SaferKid.
(2021). SaferKid App Rating: Whisper - Share, Express, Meet. www.saferkid.com/app-reviews-for-parents/whisper-share-express-meet
Saletta,
L. (2017, December 6). The internet’s newest time-suck, Whisper app, is
creepy and potentially dangerous. HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-internets-newest-time-suck-whisper-app_b_4731943
Tietz,
W., & Cainas, J. (2018). Use Snapchat to engage students. Strategic
Finance, 100(2), 67-71. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Fuse-snapchat-engage-students%2Fdocview%2F2089764489%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
Zapal,
H. (2019, August 8). Is Discord safe? Here’s what parents should know about
the platform. The Bark Blog. https://www.bark.us/blog/monitor-discord-platform-gamers/
Zulkanain,
N. A., Suraya, M., & Syed, A. N. (2020). An adapted pedagogical framework
in utilizing WhatsApp for learning purpose. Education and Information
Technologies, 25(4), 2811-2822.
http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1007/s10639-019-10096-0
