This type of ephemeral or temporary communication has several benefits. The main one is enhanced privacy and control over your information. Once a self-destroying note or message is opened and read by the intended recipient, there is no record of it left behind that could be accessed by anyone else, giving user’s privacy reassurance and reducing data and security risks. Additionally, the self-destructive nature encourages people to be more in communication.
There isn’t the same concern about your messages remaining accessible and open to interpretation long after the context of a conversation has passed. That lowers inhibitions and makes way for more authentic communication in the moment. The format also aligns well with how we consume and react to information today – rapidly and conversationally across multiple platforms. We often just need details for a specific time and purpose rather than maintaining permanent notes or messages. Read-once destruction matches those transitory needs.
Early adoption and uses
Apps popularized read-once or self-erasing messages include Snapchat, Telegram, Signal, Confide, and the “view once” option on Instagram messaging. WhatsApp also has disappearing messages as an option. Initial consumer adoption focused heavily on privacy for sharing photos that users only wanted to be viewed temporarily. This was especially the case for messaging between friends or dating app connections. But business and work applications quickly expanded, especially for sensitive communications. Industries like healthcare and finance found benefits in confidentiality paper trail reduction. Legal professionals also gravitated to encryption and access control in client interactions. Government and political communication operations saw advantages too.
Unsend and recall capabilities
Related to self-destructing communication is the emergence of private notebook message recall or unsend features. This is the ability to retract a message after the fact in case of having “sender’s remorse.” You realize too late that a post or note wasn’t meant for the person you sent it to, contained a typo or incorrect information, or reflected something you didn’t want in the record. Unsend gives people that minute or two after hitting send to pull back a message. For example, on WhatsApp, you delete a message for all participants in the past hour. On Slack, you have 30 seconds to edit or remove a troublesome message. Gmail has an Undo Send option that gives you a short window too. However, this still relies on the receiver to read the message already. It doesn’t work if someone has opened the note, seen the error, and taken action on it. In that case, self-destructing messages that erase on read seal the deal.
Shortcomings and uncertainties
At the same time, this concept of fleeting messages is worth noting. For one, any system is fallible when in the hands of malicious actors. Encryption fail; deleted doesn’t always mean deleted. Having time limits on visibility reduces risk but doesn’t guarantee compliance or privacy. There’s also the principle that more communication is good – being able to revisit conversations and see the entire record has value. Relationships and ideas develop progressively. Losing messages means losing details that could have meaningful impacts down the road, both between individuals as well as organizations and governments.
Additionally, the reassurance this gives some users negatively impact others. For example, someone overly concerned about surveillance may demonstrate paranoid behaviors. Research shows self-destructing messages are used in the grooming tactics of sexual predators targeting vulnerable victims. The concept also poses regulatory challenges as far as public access and retention rules. Government officials and agencies are often required to keep correspondence and documentation available for oversight. However, accommodating those obligations undermines the benefits of risk reduction. There are a few easy solutions that perfectly balance transparency, privacy, and security.
