Did Kylie Jenner Kill SnapChat With a Tweet?
Snapchat’s latest update hasn’t been very popular to many of its users, including Kylie Jenner, the reality celeb. But did she kill it with a tweet? I guess this proves that Twitter isn’t dead after all.
Snapchat shares sank as much as 7.2 percent today possibly from Jenner who said that she doesn’t open the app anymore. It doesn’t help that this same message went out to her 24.5 million followers too. Technology analysts have begun to take notice of lack-luster user engagement trends since Snapchat’s recent platform redesign.
Unfortunately, the social company seems to be sending mixed messages as to how they would like individuals, as well as businesses to approach their product with these recent changes. Jenner later on softened things by tweeting. “Still love you tho snap”. Though Kylie Jenner remains on board, others seem to want to jump ship.
In a blog published last year, Snapchat said the update was designed to separate content produced by friends and professionals. ‘Until now, social media has always mixed photos and videos from your friends with content from publishers and creators. While blurring the lines between professional content creators and your friends has been an interesting Internet experiment, it has also produced some strange side-effects (such as fake news) and made us feel like we have to perform for our friends rather than just express ourselves.’ it wrote.
Is fake news to blame, or was this simply a bad move by SnapChat? Whatever the reason is for the change, the likelihood its staying power is yet to be seen. Like Jenner, many of its users have taken to Twitter to express their discontent.
Snapchat is now split in two when you update if you haven’t already. The camera will still be available soon as you open the app, making it easy to snap a video or photo. Chats and Stories from your friends can be viewed by swiping left, while Stories from publishers, creators and the community can be viewed on Discover by swiping to the right.
Snapchat commented further: ‘You can think of it as a more sophisticated Best Friends algorithm that makes it easier to find the friends you want to talk to, when you want to talk to them. ‘We’ve all had the frustrating experience of scrolling endlessly through our Chats to find the right person — now your friends will be listed in the order that you want to talk to them. It might take a little while for the Friends page to learn the best way to display your friends, but the results are worth it.’
The Discover Page will reveal content from publishers and creators you’ve subscribed to at the top. Stories at the bottom are chosen by an algorithm which learns from your behaviour and will eventually sort out the stuff that you actually want to see. Curators will then review and approve everything that gets promoted on the page. The likes of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, all grapple with the responsibility of cleaning up their platforms to rid them of abusers for ethical users. But could this become a dragnet situation that’s hampering businesses small and large? Snapchat claims ‘this balance of human review and machine personalization provides the best content experience’.
Candid communication through photo and video was the first intention of Snapchat at launch. However, businesses have found ways to leverage the app for profitability. But is Snapchat trying to fix something that isn’t broke? Many of those online social services are close to crossing the line of violating the first amendment of the Constitution. Some groups are in favor amending the Constitution to combat fake news, other groups of people, and business who don’t tolerate certain social positions and/or violate them. As challenging as this is, tech companies are now caught in the middle of a highly political climate. This is truly the age of the technocrats, and it seems as if this age will last a while as technology advances as their products and services are being held more accountable.
Some users of Snapchat have deleted the app until ‘they get it together’, but if you’re a business that’s vested in the platform, all hope is not lost. Continue to Empower Your Audience, Collaborate With Influencers, Be Transparent, Be Brief, and Be Patient with growth. Snapchat isn’t a easy platform to grow on, as many users have increasingly become highly selective with regards to which content they would like to engage. There’s just so many choices out there.
Humbly and ethically approaching social mediums with that understanding can go a long way in the long term. Twitter and Snapchat investor, Gary Vaynerchuk, has been pleading with the public not to drop the services. He believes that this is a good time to establish your personal and company brand on both platforms. Every avenue that content and product creators can be seen and heard is should be valuable to them, especially for boot strapping businesses who literally can’t afford to throw shade. Never the less, the numbers aren’t lying in Apple’s App Store. Stay tuned.
