Unexpectedly I’ve become really interested in Snapchat as of late. The more I’ve come to understand the platform the more I think, at the core of it, it may be the only truly social social media platform.
The beauty of it, and why it actually feels social, is in how it’s geared towards keeping tabs on and sending snaps to friends. In relation to every other social platform snaps are hardly curated and, maybe much like most other platforms, they’re rarely worthy of more than a few seconds of attention. But because of the ephemerality it keeps us connected with one another in a way that’s different than any other medium.
Most snaps aren’t even text-worthy. I’m not going to take a picture of a couple dogs leashed to a bike rack and text it to a friend just to say “Look, a barking lot!” But on Snapchat I will.
Sure, little updates like this are inconsequential. But they’re nevertheless a form of connection. Our lives become more tightly woven together as a result of these shared micro moments. This sharing of micro moments is something that no other social platform can currently replicate.
Now despite all the social upside of solely sending snaps to one another the aspect that has me thinking most about Snapchat is Snapchat Stories. Stories gives Snapchat huge potential as a storytelling platform. Granted it can be less social than snaps since it’s more of a broadcast than a dialog. But having the potential for realtime, lightly curated VLOG-style storytelling has really never been possible before (the lesser known Beme also does this now). That said, I’ve only seen a couple people use the platform well from a storytelling perspective.
So a couple questions.
Who, if anyone, do you think is crushing it on Snapchat?
How do you tend to use Snapchat and how frequently do you use it?
It’s strange to say this, but I truly think Snapchat is the future of social media. It’s just a matter of time before we see what that really means.
Add me on Snapchat: jeffSARRIS
And tweet me your thoughts.