Snapchat vs. Facebook

The wildly acclaimed Batman vs. Superman movie recently arrived in theaters. As the movie’s name suggests, the plot is probably about some sort of epic character struggle between the beloved Batman (mostly good, but a little bit bad) and super Superman (definitely good, except when really angry).

While Bruce and Clark are battling, there’s another legendary struggle brewing between the colossal Facebook and startup Snapchat for the hearts and minds of users. Of course, there are many other social platforms that are duking it out (Instagram, Twitter and Googly+…), but for the moment let’s focus specifically on the struggle between these two giants.

Before they even enter the ring, Facebook has some impressive stats: it has 1.5 billion users, it’s almost 12yrs old, and is eating up, or buying most of it’s competition. There’s a good chance that everyone you know over the age of 25 is on Facebook.

In comparison, Snapchat is just a baby. It has .2 billion users, it hasn’t made any $16b acquisitions, and it seems only a handful of people over the age of 25 use it on a daily basis.

Just as the old saying goes: if you’re going to bet on a horse, make sure you know which one is going to win. In this case, Facebook has already won the numbers game, but the upstart has a trick up its sleeve.

Snapchat’s huge advantage over Facebook:

It’s Fun.

Since Facebook is trying to be everything for everyone, it’s become a mushy blend of friends, news, politics, stuff you saw on Reddit a few days ago, and ‘amazing videos’. There are still many touching and rewarding moments to be had between friends and family; however, these gems can easily get lost amongst the noise and constant onslaught of Facebook, and its advertisers, trying to get your attention.

In short, Facebook feels like work.

Snapchat on the other hand is light, fast and constantly evolving. The interactions on Snapchat are designed to be ephemeral, and therefore are more playful and forgiving (ok, there is a steep learning curve). Friends can be honest, silly, sad, funny… for an instant… and then the moment disappears. In this age of recording and saving everything, Snapchat’s core model may seem counterintuitive, but freedom from a digital past means users can be themselves in present.

Snapchat’s other ingenious insight is to ignore other networks. There are no ‘add’ or ‘post to Snapchat’ buttons across the web. Snapchat only works within the Snapchat app . This strategy was a risky growth strategy, but it has created an island that’s unique and outside the wretched hive of scum and villainy known as social media.

The world needs Facebook and Facebook wants the world. It’s the undisputed, de facto platform for connecting, communicating and complaining. Just like Batman, Facebook has a lot of gadgets and weapons in its tool belt and is trying really hard to be great.

Snapchat is a dreamy place where you can feel super, and fly to your followers. Just like Superman, Snapchat doesn’t need any special gadgets, cars, or jets — it has inherent superpowers and is otherworldly.