Snapchat Discover debuted on Jan. 27 and allows users to view stories and videos from different media outlets. Photo by Aneesa Conine-Nakano
By VIOLET MERRITT – Staff Writer
One element of Snapchat’s latest update is Discover, which allows users to view editorial-filled snaps from various media outlets.
On Jan. 27, photo messaging app Snapchat introduced its latest update, which featured the all-new Snapchat Discover. This update connects Snapchat users with different “channels” that feature snaps from an editorial perspective communicated through videos, text and full screen photos.
According to Snapchat’s introduction to the update, Discover is not intended to be social media: “We count on editors and artists, not clicks and shares to determine what’s important.” This is an unexpected twist from the app as the last big update introduced Stories, which allow snappers to share videos and photos with their contact list that expire after 24 hours.
The Discover homepage shows 12 media outlets, including Snapchat’s own channel, CNN and People Magazine that all appear as logos in brightly colored circles. To access the page, users only have to swipe left on their Story page, which remains true to Snapchat’s usual sleek and easy navigations. But with the simple swipe needed to get to the Discover page, it is easy for users to accidentally leave the Stories page, which is even more frustrating for snappers who don’t make use of Discover.
Once a channel is opened by tapping on its logo, users can swipe through the edition and browse through headlines, photos and videos. To view the deeper cut for each headline, users can swipe up, or swipe down to leave the channel.
Like Stories, content in each channel is refreshed every 24 hours because, “what’s new today is history tomorrow.” Although it worked out well for Stories, the fast turnover begs the question of how often channels will upload new snaps with different content.
Another aspect of the update was the removal of “best friends” lists, which allowed users to see the three most snapped people of other users. This component was unlike anything on other popular social media apps like Twitter or Instagram, and its removal has upset many users, as they have become used to the opportunity of stalking who their friends or significant others send snaps to. However, with personal privacy diminishing as the internet’s reach expands, Snapchat’s decision to keep “best friends” private seems like it could be one less thing that users have to share.
All in all, Discover is an interesting and innovative idea and brings a fresh perspective to editorials. Snapchat has created an easy way to view snippets of entertainment and information without leaving their favorite social media app.
Although all of the content that is packed into Snapchat can get overwhelming, the bright animation and quick access makes for a fun experience and the variety of content reaches all types of snappers.
