Snapchat is a shroud of mystery for many people.

It doesn’t have to be though. The format of the platform was the first of its kind, but others have followed with similar features, like Instagram and Facebook stories.

To start off, the home page for Snapchat is your phone’s camera, you have to swipe left or right to get to anything else.

Every post or “snap” disappears in 24 hours. All snaps taken within 24 hours of each other can be threaded together in a slide show/video segment called a story.

Snaps can be sent to anyone and everyone following you, or they can be sent to select individuals, just one person or in a group. Responses are private though unless they were sent in a group.

Live snaps are encouraged as well. You can upload a picture or video from your phone that was previously taken, but Snapchat will let the viewer know it was not taken live.

These features make Snapchat unique in the way it harnesses visual content, authenticity and an intimate feel.

Snapchat is a place where it’s difficult to fake it, it all about what’s happening now. In a world of carefully planned, posed and curated content, that’s powerful.