Snapchat Update
Snapchat has become an ever growing social media platform since its development in 2011 by three Stanford students. The platform allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours as well as paid advertising from a variety of influencers, businesses and news channels. With over 187 million viewers, the platform appeals to all age groups, but largely those between the ages of 12–34.
Recently, Snapchat began the process of releasing a new update that has caused much conversation and uneasiness amongst app users. With the new update, Snapchat combines the individual snaps and stories feature. Now, these features are all combined and thus separated from paid advertisers. The update has been pushed out to nearly 40 million viewers with all accounts expected to be updated by the end of Q1.
The update allows Snapchat to increase its engagement and grow its advertising base. It plans to strengthen relationships through this update with influencers and businesses alike. Additionally, it hopes to make the app easier for an older demographic to use and understand. However, due to the high number of young users on the app, much frustration has been expressed. The redesign puts much more emphasis on paid advertising and less on the friends and story aspect.
It will be interesting to see in the coming months how the Snapchat app update is perceived by all users. Additionally, it will be interesting to see if there is an increase in revenue for Snapchat due to paid advertising.
Sources:
http://adage.com/article/digital/brands-nascar-love-snapchat-redesign/312361/
http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/12/technology/snapchat-update-backlash/index.html
