"Snapchat isn't like that at all and really focuses on creating the Story of a day in your life, not some filtered/altered/handpicked highlight. It’s the real you."
Snapchat has really taken over social communication in my group of friends. It's the number one way to stay in touch on a daily basis. I went from texting 4-5k messages a month, to less than a thousand.
If I'm walking down the street and see something I want to share, I'm not gonna post it on Facebook or Instagram because it isn't important enough and you are opening yourself up to be judged by hundreds, if not, thousands of people. Whereas with Snapchat, I can quickly take the pic, add a dumb caption, and send it to a select few people that I think might be entertained by it. Those people can then can either ignore it, or respond with their reaction or whatever. There is no pressure. No likes. It doesn't stick around for more than 10 seconds. Personally, I think they've done a great job with Snapchat. It does what it needs to do very well. Nothing less, nothing more.
Can someone explain to me why adding ephemeral messaging to FB, Instagram, etc. hasn't been done? If Snapchat is really getting so much traction because of one trivial feature, it seems obvious to offer that same feature.
My only interaction with these platforms is having done some work against their (rather poor) APIs, so I may be missing something terribly obvious.
Instagram tried to do it with direct messages, but it didn't take off. This reaffirms my opinion that you can't have a single app that does everything. A couple reasons this may be true, especially in Snapchat's case:
1. Snapchat's whole UI is based around this single feature. Its reason for existence is this feature alone, so they are able to commit way more time and focus on getting this one thing right. As soon as you open the app the first you see are your snaps. Swipe left for the camera, and left again for the contacts. Super simple. Very fast to navigate.
2. Snapchat is semi-anonymous. You can set your Instagram profile to private, but it's still not the same as having an app based around short-lived pics / messages that aren't tied to your online identity.
3. Instagram = Good photos. Vine = Good videos. Facebook = Staying in touch. LinkedIn = Career stuff. Snapchat = Random things you want to share with friends. Changing people's perception of your app is hard, if not impossible (in some cases). Just like Instagram's video feature didn't replace Vine (just distracted people from Vine, and ruined Instagrams clutter free feed), Instagram's direct feature won't replace Snapchat. Having different apps for different uses, even if purely psychological, helps people separate their social lives.
Just a guess, but I'm in my thirties with a family. I use Twitter and Instagram. I like that Instagram is keeping a trail of moments that I want to keep and return to - photos of my children, etc. I'm also likely to have more discretionary income than a teenager and to perhaps be more useful to advertisers driving money in to social networks. Maybe Facebook's changes and direction are judged only on the financial return and if each change is boosting that, then so be it.
You can be the real you, only on Snapchat!
"Snapchat isn't like that at all and really focuses on creating the Story of a day in your life, not some filtered/altered/handpicked highlight. It’s the real you."