Snapchat Could Become the Go-To App for Unfolding News Stories
When I saw the San Bernardino shooting Story as curated on Snapchat, I was riveted. The Snapchat version of the story was way more captivating than any news coverage because it brought the story home as multiple, lived experiences rather than as third party interpretations. There were no reporters directing our attention to specific events or musings. Yes, Snapchat included captions to explain what was being shown, but they weren’t as jarring as a reporter can be.
I found it interesting how cavalierly some of the students behaved during lockdown, for example. I never saw a news report about the student experience. Seeing the kids’ reactions during the event was more meaningful than post-event interviews when kids are responding to questions coming from the parent or reporter’s perspective. Watching police storm through a neighborhoods and helicopters circling above from the viewpoint of residents brought the event home in a way I haven’t seen via other social media channels.
WHO ELSE CAN DELIVER IN THIS FORMAT?
I thought for sure Vine, Instagram or even Twitter would bring these stories to life, but they largely have not, although I’ve seen firsthand videos of devastation after earthquakes and hurricanes on those channels. They are valuable and help remind people that after the news cameras leave, help is still needed. Periscope is probably the best medium of them all for 1st-person accounts of local events, but again, it’s one person’s perspective rather than the multiple perspectives captured in a Snapchat story. Nothing wrong with Periscope (I love Periscope)- it just offers a different way to convey a story or event.
CNN’s I-Reports give the amateur, first-person perspective that I like, but I prefer the conglomeration of many perspectives in Snapchat’s stories. Twitter Moments is the closest comparison, but I haven’t taken to them the way I have to Snapchat, maybe because of the way Snaps are captured and immediately posted, raw. For me, there is something more personal about Snapchat in the presentation of ongoing stories, and it's so easy to use that I feel I could easily contribute to stories myself.
SHOULD SNAPCHAT NOT EVOLVE?
There are those who don’t believe Snapchat should evolve beyond its original focus or target audience. That’s silly. Developers should be encouraged to evolve and to fill “service” gaps. There are those who fear the company will either handle news events poorly or abandon its original audience. I’d say the San Bernardino entry proves they can handle event reporting.
Whether Snapchat spins off a separate app or just adds new features (I prefer the latter) I can’t foresee, but I don’t see why the app should lose the features it currently has while evolving into a much more useful app for a wider audience. I’m no kid but those filters are a mixture of fun and usefulness. And I enjoy watching my friends’ overseas vacation snaps, party videos and silliness as much as I would enjoy “Snapgroups” for specific interests. Snapchat should be able to deliver on all of these fronts.
CURATION CONCERNS
My only concern about the news stories is the curation. As a sociologist, I’m concerned about whose stories get heard and whose perspectives are not shown. Lack of cultural diversity among the curation staff can unwittingly result in less-rich storytelling. I look forward to seeing how the curation develops over time.
In the meantime, more stories, please!
