Burn Note gives users the feeling that they can talk to anyone about anything because each text conversation “self-destructs,” much like Snapchat (the real-time picture chatting application) does with images. The text message disappears completely from the device and from any server or network cloud. Originally released in January 2012, Burn Note was somewhat eclipsed by Snapchat’s release. However, just last month, Burn Note launched new iOS and Android apps that have spotlighting features. The new and improved versions limit the messages’ viewing area to further protect from an unauthorized screenshot by the recipient.
Does Burn Note encourage sexting? Burn Note’s creator, Jacob Robbins, told TechCrunch, “The story that was most frequently written was that teens were primarily using Snapchat for sexting, but that was pretty transparently not true unless sexting was a daily activity primarily done during school hours in which case school administrators could be expected to weigh in loudly.” It actually may be more useful for teens who want to share snarky comments about their classmates, or answers on a test. Download it and give it a try yourself—you and your administrators will definitely want to know about this application.
This article was featured in School Library Journal's SLJTeen enewsletter. Subscribe today to have more articles like this delivered to you twice a month for free.
About Dodie Ownes
Comment Policy: Your words are your own, so be nice and helpful if you can. We accept clean XHTML in comments, but don't overdo it and please limit the number of links submitted in your comment. For more info, see the full Terms of Use.