Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that technology users are wreaking havoc regarding the newest Snapchat update. Could this be the beginning stages of Snapchat admitting defeat and succumbing to the dominance of Instagram?
For as long as consumers can remember, our capitalistic society has been based on competition- whether it be Google vs. Yahoo, Target vs. Macys or Uber vs. Lyft. That is part of the reason why our society is so developed- the goal is to out-do the competitor. However, the one factor that connects all businesses is their innate need for a strong social media presence. And this fact poses a whole new battle on its own.
Instagram and Snapchat are arguably the two most popular, trending or used social media platforms that exist. Until recently, the two entities had different goals in terms of what the apps could do. Instagram was a long term means for people to share images. Snapchat was more of an instant platform, emphasizing that images and videos lasted for 10 seconds max in an individual Snapchat or 24 hours on a story.
However, as both of these apps developed, the lines began to blur. Instagram gave users the ability to upload videos, post more than one picture in a single post and put 24 hour stories. They did not stop there. You can now use filters, boomerangs, stickers and location services on an Instagram story- similar to Snapchat. In terms of Snapchat, you can send a Snapchat for an infinite amount of time. While young consumers, corporations, philanthropic groups etc. use both as a means to express themselves or their mission, it is hard to identify a major difference between the two.
The addition of the Instagram stories alone caused a 14-15% story view count decrease. According to Forbes, “within six months Instagram stories hit 150 million daily users which is only slightly less than the number of daily active users for Snapchat’s entire app.” For the most part, it is expected that a person has more Instagram followers than Snapchat friends as the app is a little more impersonal. Yet this one addition to Instagram upped the competitive spirit between the two apps.
While both apps are crucial to today’s society, a recent Snapchat update has users flustered. Snapchat’s update has combined the location of personal snapchats and stories, changed the location of your personal story and makes it hard to go back and watch a story after a period of time has elapsed. The comments I’ve heard, some made by myself, indicate that Snapchat users are wildly unpleased with the apps change.
Granted, with our technological society and the savviness of technology users, it is likely that the app will change its ways or we will get used to it. However, with all the similarities between Instagram and Snapchat, would it be hard to believe that Instagram could possibly use this widespread dissatisfaction to their advantage and takeover the social media world?
Sources:
– https://www.forbes.com/sites/baldwincunningham/2017/04/25/snapchat-vs-in…