Snapchat, which has long maintained its focus on facilitating close relationships, as opposed to broadcasting your life, has this week published a new research report which looks at close friendships in the digital age, and how people connect.

Called 'The Friendship Report', Snap opens with a reinforcement of its value proposition, in variance to other social networks:

"Snapchat was founded in 2011 on the belief that talking with photos and videos, with our real friends, was more personal and more fun than texting or keeping up on social media. Since then, the company has been evolving the platform but never deviating from this core mission of helping close friends express themselves and be creative together."

That's become a larger movement over time - as people have grown more wary of sharing their personal lives online - in many cases for fear of it being used against them at a later stage - we've seen social media interactions gradually shift to more private, enclosed spaces, like messaging and groups. 

Snapchat's focus aligns with this, which is partly why it's been able to capitalize on its niche and maintain audience attention over time.

The Friendship Report, which incorporates responses from some "10,000 nationally representative people, aged 13-75, in Australia, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, and the US", provides more specific insight on this, with a range of stats and data points related to close relationships and how they're maintained.

Note that last point on the bottom right - people don't care about the size of your social network. Seems like a fairly clear jab at Facebook.

The full report provides a range of interesting insights on how modern relationships are maintained, which paints a picture of some of the key social behaviors of the next generation.

It also, logically, looks to highlight the specific role that Snapchat plays in this, as opposed to other social networks.

For marketers, the report helps to provide an expanded overview and understanding of the modern interactive landscape, and how people use social platforms to connect. As has been repeatedly stated by many a smart marketer, social networks are designed to be just that - social - which is why brands need to understand such nuances and usages in order to maximize the performance of their messaging.

It's not, ideally, a medium for promotion, but instead, for connection, and that's what's underlined, repeatedly, within the data and insights provided in Snap's report.

It's definitely worth a read - you can check out an overview of the report on Snapchat's Business blog, where you can also find a link to download the full report.