Good luck with that, Twitter.
So how did the screenshot become the default for sharing stuff on the internet?
“It’s easier than saving a photo.
Xavier Lorenzo / Getty Images
You don’t have to right-click and choose where to save.
“And some apps don’t let you save images, like Instagram.”
Easy
Let’s share a Tweet from the Twitter website.
One is to send via direct message.
We’re now three taps in, and we’re still navigating the hierarchy.
That’s a lot of cognitive load.
What about sharing images?
Or even just saving them?
Instagram blocks this, as do some websites.
But you’ll never know until you try.
I don’t know, but I do know they’re not necessary.
Let’s take a look at another shared link, this time from eBay.
is superfluous to actual sharing.
This link is a lot more transparent in what it shares than Twitter’s version.
We see how it was shared, where from, and by what method inside the app.
I do this before I post pictures to classified ad sites.
The Simple Screenshot
A screenshot avoids all of these problems.
It’s instant and requires no cognitive overload once you’ve learned the button combo.
You just press the buttons, and the screenshot is saved.
Saving a screenshot is easy.
So easy, in fact, that some apps have taken to detecting when you snap one.
Theoretically, an app may then display a blank screen to block it.
That’s pretty user-hostile for Twitter or Instagram but legit for some services.
Its easier than saving a photo.
You dont have to right-click, and choose where to save.
And the tools for managing screenshots are getting better, too.
