'Unlocks opportunities': Snapchat's local boss talks up social media positives

Kathryn Carter is about to find herself on the other side of the social media equation.Having so far spent her time steering the ship for Snapchat in Australia, New Zealand and south-east Asia, the 38-year-old is about to become a parent. And that brings with it a very specific perspective on social media.Social media apps, even the seemingly innocuous ones like Snapchat – which lets users exchange pictures and videos – have become magnets for controversy. Concerns about addiction, the spread of misinformation and the purported damage done to young minds have become almost as viral as the use of the apps themselves.Kathryn Carter, CEO of Snapchat’s Australian, New Zealand and south-east Asian operations.Credit:Louise KennerleyCarter doesn’t discount the tension but she’s sanguine the positives of a platform such as Snapchat outweigh the perceived negatives. “I’m sure I’m naive in going in thinking that I will be able to know all of the answers now, not knowing what motherhood will entail,” she says. “But I’d like to think that in 13 years’ time when my son is able to use technology that I will enable that because it also unlocks so many extraordinary opportunities.”Social media, believe it or not, is still…
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