Snapchat which has over 188 million daily active users has
become a social media powerhouse as of recent years. The image messaging app is
currently the most popular social media app for US teenagers according www.statista.com. So what I wanted to know
is how Snapchat managed its meteoric rise to the top of the Social Media game.
So after doing some research in to the success of Snapchat,
it became clear that Snapchat mimicked reality which created a much more
realistic way of interacting on an online platform. The norm for the internet is
to save everything, which Snapchat choose to do the opposite. Messages and
photos are not saved and are temporary, much like real-life interactions. This
realism of social interaction through an app encourages users to come back.
Another key reason for Snapchats success is teenagers. Teenagers
once used Facebook which Parents were quickly joining in their masses. Which
meant teenagers were looking for another app which allowed them to be “cool”
again. Snapchat was the answer to this.
Snapchats success on top of this is due to its decreased
censorship. The interface allows the sender to regulate how long a message is
sent for (ie 1-10 seconds). Which makes the app ideal for sexting which is
undeniable. The app doesn’t have the same filters other apps would for explicit
content.
Snapchat also plays on the millennial's need to “live in the
moment”. The ability to create stories and broadcast your life, allows millennial's
to control their online persona. That combined with celebrities increased use of
the platform allowed users to get an exclusive peak in to the life of a
celebrity.
Snapchat’s continuous integration of new features to appeal
to their varying audiences such as features like Discovery, Video-chatting and
chat. The Discovery feature allows users to receive content provided by top
media companies. Launch participants included National Geographic, Vice, ESPN,
and more.
To conclude Snapchat’s simplicity and attraction to such a key
demographic of 18-24 year olds allowed the app to take off. Their awareness of its
market has allowed it to build and its continuous innovation of the app has
allowed it to maintain its position. What started off as a simple snap and
share app has become much more and provided real competition to the big boys
such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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