Self-deleting text is a characteristic of text that deletes itself from the web or a document once it has been read. Self-deleting text is commonly found as an option when you’re writing on the web, in electronic messages and email, blog posts, and other texts. The use cases for self deleting texts are numerous because it’s so different than a typical way of writing and publishing.
Here are some of the use cases for self-deleting text:
Sending secret messages on the internet
Self-deleting text can be used in the same way as any other message. One common use is in a private note to send a message that automatically self-destructs after being read.
Posting about a sad or distressing event on the internet
Self-deleting text can be used to post about something distressing, or to make something that is sad, or from today become a memory.
Preventing others from acting on certain actions in the past
Self-deleting text can be used to prevent people from taking certain action because of the past. It is also possible to prevent another person’s past actions from affecting them later in their life (i.e. preventing them from killing someone in the past, or preventing them from stealing in the past).
Reminding yourself of something that was important to you in the past
Self-deleting text can be used to remind yourself of a memory or someone who had an impact on your life.
Making future actions conditional on earlier actions
Self-deleting text can also be used to make future actions conditional on earlier actions. For example, if someone wanted to give money to charity if they had not posted on twitter in 7 days.
Commemorating an event for a certain time period
Self-deleting text can also be used to commemorate an event for a certain time, such as a birthday or anniversary, and self-delete after that time period has passed.
