Thoughts and Suggestions for Snapchat
Peter Hamby, Head of News for Snapchat, talked with our digital journalism class this past week to show how the popular app has become more news-oriented. With Snapchat’s transitioning its’ programming away from solely photos and video, here are my takes on where the app is heading in a digital news world.
What’s my News Diet?
I get my news from a large variety of sources, ranging from print to television to online. I read the Boston Globe and New York Times, as well as following numerous online media outlets in a variety of fields, such as ESPN and the Huffington Post. I also watch CNN, MSNBC and FOX News regularly to get an understanding of the news from different vantage points.
Snapchat Discover
I rarely use the Discover section if at all, as I have other ways that I learn about the news that matters to me. I think the concept is fantastic, but isn’t given enough attention by the programmers to help it catch on. I honestly think that most Snapchat users will admit to never looking into the Discover section at all.
The format is great, using numerous short videos from a specific news outlet to give a general overview of what is going on. Users then have the choice to get more information if a certain video interests them, able to swipe up to either read an article or watch a full-length video. It is an informative option that sticks to the general Snapchat idea of short content, allowing the user to decide what they want to spend more time seeing.
Live Stories
I have never nor do I plan on watching approximately 95 percent of the live stories that Snapchat features on a daily basis. Unless something really piques my interest, I do not have any desire to see a collaboration of snaps from other users. Most of the live stories just feature videos of a user saying where they are and aren’t really that informative.
Suggestions
Snapchat has progressed in leaps and bounds. What was once considered an app used for sexting has introduced itself into the news media scene with some smart creations. However, it will not be truly successful until there is some sort of news personalization that can be added.
Discover is a nice option, but the news outlets featured are far too broad to be successful. CNN or Buzzfeed cover numerous topics, making it hard for someone who watches their Discover story to ensure that something of interest will be there for them. Discover stories should be narrowed down by topic, not by outlet. For instance, start an “Election 2016” Discover tab, or a “Champions League Final” one for all news on a certain topic. I understand that this would blend news from different outlets, but it would allow that news to be much more accessible to people.
Live stories can be changed the same way. Half of the live stories available each day are of little to no interest to me. If the Snapchat user can personalize what he or she gets to see, there would be much more people watching the stories that interest them.
I also would be interested to see celebrity takeovers of Snapchat live stories. This would also increase viewers, and is much more valuable than a ten second video from a random person in a crowd.
Snapchat is moving in the right direction. It has a unique and creative way to get news out to the public. It just needs to figure out a way to source that news in such a way that caters to the specific desires of each individual that uses the app.
