Nearly Half of Millennial Smartphone Owners Use Auto-Delete Messaging Apps

The implication is that younger generations using smartphones are more conscious of the ways in which their data is being used and are attempting to disguise or deflect that attention. This does not necessarily mean they are privacy advocates, but rather that they want more leverage over their communications and how they are used by others. JL

Pavithra Mohan reports in Fast Company:

Among people ages 18 to 29, 49% use one or more messaging apps, and 41% use apps that automatically delete messages after they are viewed.

A new report by the Pew Research Center claims that 36% of Americans who own smartphones use messaging apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Kik. Mobile platforms that auto-delete messages—like Snapchat or Wickr—are popular with just 17% of U.S. smartphone users. But among people ages 18 to 29, 49% use one or more messaging apps, and 41% use apps that automatically delete messages after they are viewed.
The study examined the popularity of mobile messaging, social networks, and online forums in the U.S.
Facebook continues to be the social media platform of choice: 72% of adult Internet users in the U.S. are on the site, most of whom log on every day. (This is the equivalent of 62% of all adults in the U.S.)
Both Instagram and Pinterest are used by about 30% of online adults, while Twitter trails behind at 23%—the same percentage it held in 2014—due to its ongoing struggle to attract and retain users.
LinkedIn, on the other hand, has seen its user base fall from 28% in 2014 to 25% this year. But the professional network boasts a significant upswing in daily users, from 13% to 22%, which suggests that its existing community could be utilizing tools like Pulse or relying on it more heavily for job hunting. According to Pew, LinkedIn is also the only major social media platform that is more popular among users in the 30 to 49 age group than with those ages 18 to 29.
Pew also notes that only 10% of adult Internet users frequent Tumblr, while 15% visit link discovery sites like Reddit and Digg.