NowThis SnapChats The News

When NowThis News broke into the Instagram market, it was both unexpected and simultaneously successful. The company is now moving into a new frontier: Snapchat. Specifically, Snapchat Stories. NowNews is leveraging the 24hr long photo-documenting service to do real journalism. For instance, NowThis is already planning a Snapchat Story that documents the life of a Congressman during the government shutdown, and it would feature a variety of different angles, photos, and insights that traditional media don’t see. As well, they’re using the Stories feature to make a photo-collage of Banksy’s visible NYC exhibit, playing into the ephemeral nature of street art. They’ve acquired roving video journalists to contribute to the stories, to build them out into viably vibrant pieces. It might not necessarily revolutionize journalism, but it’s a nonetheless fascinating application of Snapchat Stories; we’re looking forward to more innovative uses of the new technology.