"This message will self-destruct in 24 hours"
Path is a private social network that supports photo-sharing and private messaging between close friends. Each user may include up to 150 friends in their network. Path has now announced that all new messages will be automatically removed from their servers after 24 hours (downloaded messages will remain on users' devices). The service has described these messages as "24-hour ephemeral".Ephemeral messaging is of course key feature of Snapchat. Dating website Tinder is also following suit, announcing that it will be rolling out a feature that allow users to share photos that will disappear in 24 hours. Apple is also appropriating this feature in iOS 8 due to be launched later in 2014. Facebook has accidentally revealed it is developing its own Snapchat tribute.
Antisocial networking
Apps such as Cloak and Split allow users to avoid people they may know but don't want to run into. The mine geolocation information from other social media tools to let you know if you are about to bump into someone you would rather avoid.Anomo is an anonymous social app that counters the ‘oversharing' that many people feel is happing in many social forums.
What about ephemeral messaging in the workplace?
Apparently, Snapchat is already being put to use by insider traders on Wall Street - boo! Seth Fiegerman explores the growth of startups aiming to introduce ephemeral messaging into the workplace. These include an app (Confide) to support ‘off the record' conversations which are encrypted and then destroyed. Users are barred from taking screenshots. The tricky path for some of these startups aimed specifically at business is to ensure their business model does not rely on supporting illegal behaviour.Sources: Mashable; The New Yorker; The Guardian; Gadgetsndtv;