By David Pierce
You know the old saying, right? If you can't beat
'em...pivot.
That's the story of the new version of Snap Inc.'s Snapchat, a
complete overhaul currently rolling out to the app's 187 million
daily users. See, Facebook Inc.'s Instagram has waged a merciless
campaign to destroy Snapchat by copying all its best features and
offering them in a simpler app with more users. Snap invented the
story format -- in which users share short public videos that
disappear after 24 hours -- but more people make and watch stories
on Instagram.
After more than a year of fighting, Snap had no choice but to
stop battling Instagram head-on and try becoming something else
entirely.
Snapchat is now three things at once -- a fun augmented-reality
camera, a powerful if confusing messaging platform and a place to
watch original, phone-friendly video. Snap could have gone further,
breaking each feature out into its own app, but decided not to risk
asking its users to download new apps.
The one thing Snapchat most assuredly is not? A social network.
There's no timeline, no news feed, no likes and comments. If you
want those, use Instagram.
After Snap began rolling out the updated app in late 2017, many
users had the same reaction: a hatred that burned with the fury of
a thousand suns. It's "sick" and "twisted" and "horrible," people
on Twitter said. More than a million people signed a petition
imploring Snap to revert to the old design.
In some ways, they're right. For certain things, Snapchat is now
a far less useful platform. It's not the best place to keep up with
celebrities or view the videos your influencer-wannabe friends are
posting publicly.
But to me, the infamously inscrutable app is now far easier to
understand, especially for new users. It's no longer "Instagram
only confusing." Snap is doubling down on being personal, and we
need more of that on the internet. It's exploring how photography,
chat and even TV change when we're all on our phones all the time.
I've found myself using Snapchat far more since the redesign.
Snapchange
The most noticeable change is the layout of the Snapchat app
itself. Like always, when you open it, you go straight to the
camera. All the filters, lenses and AR tools are still here. If
nothing else, this is still the most powerful camera app you'll
find.
Swipe right from the camera and you land on Snapchat's new
Friends screen, its home for all your chats and other interactions
with people you actually know.
Snapchat is an excellent messaging app, but this new screen
confuses me. Tapping on friends' pictures opens their profiles,
usually. If somebody has an active story -- indicated by a small,
easy-to-miss blue circle -- you see that instead. Tapping or
swiping right on a friend's name opens a chat window, or else a
snap he or she might have sent.
The most confusing part of the Friends screen? Its order.
Like many social platforms, Snapchat's content is now governed
by algorithms that attempt to discern what you're likeliest to want
to see at a given moment. The best, not the most recent, floats to
the top. In theory, the algorithm should make sure your best friend
is never drowned out by your chattier colleagues. But sometimes an
acquaintance who posts a story jumps up, burying more important
group chats and private messages.
Can you imagine your phone constantly reordering your texts,
based on what it thinks you care about? Snap ought to at least let
us opt out and go back to chronological order.
When you swipe left from the camera, you get the Discover
screen. Here you'll see Snapchat's original programming, content
from publishers like BuzzFeed and The Wall Street Journal, and
stories from celebrities and others you follow. This content is
curated by Snapchat's staff and personalized based on your viewing
habits. In this case, algorithmic ordering makes more sense.
Snap has made a small concession to its disgruntled users. On
Tuesday, the company said a coming update will add tabs to the
Friends and Discover screens. In these tabs, you'll be able to tap
to see only stories or group chats or Discover feeds you've
subscribed to. They're still all sorted by those algorithms,
however.
Friends like these
Dividing Snapchat into three distinct parts has wide-reaching
effects. Snapchat's previous emphasis on quick, silly video and an
everything-together interface led to a wonderful mixing of
friendship and fandom, as if Justin Timberlake were your bestie and
those behind-the-scenes videos were just for you.
Now those videos are deemed "Official Stories," placed alongside
publisher content. The divide is clear: Justin Timberlake is not
your friend. His story is a show, and you are a viewer.
This lets Snapchat turn its content into a far more serious
moneymaking machine. Its curation team looks at popular or nearby
stories, original shows and more to give you a near-endless stream
of stuff to watch -- all of it with ads every few snaps.
Snapchat is showing it's more interested in quality. "There's
always going to be a platform where you can get more views," says a
spokesman.
In general, I see the difference. While some of Discover's
publishers do trade too much in scantily clad celebrities, I've
seen little of the fake news and political bile that infect so many
other platforms. Snap is acting more like Netflix than YouTube,
choosing content carefully rather than gunning for volume.
Unfortunately, it's still too difficult to find fresh stuff to
watch. There's no Explore page like Instagram or a YouTube-style
Trending page. It's terrific during big events like the Olympics,
where Snapchat can offer an endless stream of first-person
perspective, but Discover mostly recycles the same people and
publishers day after day.
There may just be less to show: Many former popular Snapchat
users have shifted their focus to other platforms, where there are
more eyeballs and more discovery.
On the messaging front, Snapchat is at its best when you aren't
trying to juggle too many friends. You can share more freely and
always find people. Snap says that's the idea, and acknowledges
that for keeping up with "friends" you haven't talked to since high
school, you're better off with Instagram or Facebook.
There are good reasons for newcomers and veterans alike to give
this new version a chance. It doesn't stress me out like Twitter
does, or make me feel inadequate like Instagram. It's a place for
hanging out with my friends, taking goofy pictures and watching
some fun videos.
But the balancing act is getting trickier. Could the next "Game
of Thrones" come in snap form? (Don't hold your breath.) More
important, will your friends stick it out through all the changes?
As Facebook's crusade continues, it seems to get quieter here every
day.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 22, 2018 10:40 ET (15:40 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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