The battle of social sharing is on.
If you’re an avid social user as I am, you’ll know that Instagram shaded Snapchat in a way no one saw coming. The photo-sharing app added Instagram Stories, an exact replica of Snapchat’s stories feature. The benefit: sharing photos and videos with your followers which only last for 24 hours. Snapchat kicked-off this new wave of social sharing, allowing users to flaunt those spontaneous moments without having to plan the perfect selfie or a staged food photo, as Instagram is notorious for. New media trends suggest Spontaneity will trump Attention To Detail kinds of post. This formula poses a direct threat to Instagram’s social “share” of the market.
The IG update had many users in uproar. Why promote a direct rip-off? We suspect Facebook (the sole owners of Instagram) want to consolidate user’s timeline/newsfeed in one area. Competition is hot this summer in the social game.
Crucially, Instagram holds double the number of daily active users compared to Snapchat. Older audiences may want to stay with Instagram’s friendly interface, since a big complaint about Snapchat is that its design can be difficult to follow. Brands may stay on Instagram as they can utilize it more for advertising, brand reputation, and user engagement without having to build a new audience on a different app. The update allows brands to reach their audience in an interactive way with live content, while maintaining their traditional posting, as Facebook does.
From a user stand point, Instagram Stories currently lacks quality content that Snapchat offers—daily offerings of fun filters, geofilters, animated branded lenses, 3D stickers, speed effects, etc. Overall, Snapchat must stay relevant to the consumer by offering exclusive content and bonus features to retain their authenticity in the social media world. Instagram, by comparison, is probably going to reach more established brands. I bet we’ll see a sure winner soon enough. What’s your social choice?
