THIS Is The Reason It Makes Sense For WhatsApp To Have Its Own Stories Clone
“Good artists copy, great artists steal”
Whatsapp, the service every Indian uncle uses to send good morning images, rolled out a new feature called Status <cough> snapchatstories </cough> to the masses yesterday.
People are not okay with companies blatantly copying something which was originally created by Snapchat, the app famous for converting girls into bitches.
A lot of users are questioning whether it makes sense for Whatsapp (Or should it be WHATSnAPP) to have a stories feature when its cousin company instagram, its sister company messenger its parent company facebook and its nemesis snapchat ALL have it already.
To answer the question “Why does whatsapp need to have stories ?” we need to first look at why people use stories in the first place. According to me, there are two reasons why people use stories
A — They want to show their classy lifestyle
B — They want to initiate a conversation
Within 48 hours of launch, like it or not, stories is a MASSIVE success. The adoption rates are way higher than when launched on Instagram.
The reason why I am absolutely in love with WhatsApp stories (Referred to as WAS henceforth) is because no other app has been able to convince people to start a conversation the way WhatsApp has.
I saw so many old friends on WhatsApp stories whom I had never seen on Instagram or snapchat (You need either a six pack, iPhone or boobs to be accepted on Instagram/Snapchat) WAS is like a level playing field.
I had conversations today with people I haven’t spoken to in months because of WAS. I see WAS as the next Facebook Status. Facebook status updates are at an all time low (unless you are friends with me on facebook. Here’s a tip. Add me) and WhatsApp usage is at an all time high.
I won’t be surprised if I stumble upon people sharing their happy / sad moments on WhatsApp via Stories. Facebook has become a very cold place because of the ad bombardment and absence of original content. WhatsApp is warmer and acts like a personal space to have meaningful conversations (Without being sold underwear in the ads).
Let’s all just accept the fact that no conversation ever remains on Instagram. It tends to trickle down to WhatsApp sooner or later. Don’t even get me started on the amazing compression used by WA to decrease image quality (thereby decreasing data usage)
A lot of people worry that the entire social media experience is going to be a huge menace because of people posting the same stories on all platforms. If people make up their minds about which service to use, this problem shouldn’t arise.
I hope these people have thought about this before following 9gas and 8crab on all social media. Stories on Instagram/Snapchat are going to be different than those which you see on WhatsApp.I believe (and hope) stories involving liquor, weed, partying and hookah will not make inroads into WhatsApp.
If (2+2=5) { snapchat.shutUpAndTakeMyMoney(); }
It is also interesting to note that this is the first time WhatsApp is being proactive in helping you initiate a conversation. It has never positioned itself as a social media before. WhatsApp is either being ambitious or Zuckerberg is the parent who dresses all his kids alike.
Another reason why people are considering not using WAS is because it doesn’t have as many features as Snapchat. Do you really think a company whose market cap is 389Bn lacks the engineering muscle ? Its either already on its way or Facebook has some fresh research / data which proves that the user experience is better if teenagers aren’t gawking at their screens in hopes of converting their face into a dog.
Also, the previous WAS was a redundant feature which no one cared about. The advantages of stories need no explanation. The benefits of having stories on WhatsApp outweigh all the detriments IMO.
[UPDATE — Facebook is bringing text statuses back in a new container. It will now be called “Taglines”]
If you have reached here, I thank you profusely for taking time out from your day to read my opinions. I’ve also written about the big debate going on these days about Snapchat dying Please check that out as well :)
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