I found this article on Snapchat to be extremely interesting and relevant given today's crowded social media landscape. So much press on Snapchat deals talks about teens using the app to sext or share inappropriate content. However, millions of people are using it for reasons other than sending vulgar photos that they want "erased." There is mystery and allure to the app that people are drawn to and they're sending these "invisible" messages at high frequency, even if they are completely PG.
If you stop and think about the reason people are engaging with Snapchat it brings up an idea that is contradictory to what most other social media sites stand for. Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. are all sites where people can express themselves publicly and build up a library of posts/photos to share with the world. Everything is archived and people share and intake content with the knowledge (and maybe comfort) that anything posted will be archived for continuous consumption and retrieval at a later time. Think about how we engage with these sites - we log on when we're bored (either at our computers or on our phones) and we mindlessly scroll through our feeds, pausing only when something very striking catches our eye. Most of the content is like white noise and we don't give any of it much concentrated attention.
Snapchat however works in the opposite way. Knowing that you get once chance to view a message, a user needs to pay the utmost attention once he/she clicks on it. And because you actually have to hold down on the screen to keep the message running there is even more emphasis on active engagement with the content. While one may send out content within Snapchat without a lot of thought or planning, one receives content with a high degree of intent.
I like how the article likens this to note-passing in school. Quick messages delivered to a specific audience, but meant for one time consumption. It elevates the significance of the message, knowing the time to view/read it is fleeting. I don't know if I agree completely with the article that this could be an approach for marketers to make users engage more heavily and with more focus with their advertisements. People still filter through ads and I don't know that simply because there is a temporary viewing window would make people care any more about engaging with content. Yet there is a lot of potential for unique marketing campaigns, viral tactics, or PR worthy stunts with this type of application.
But more importantly than what it all means for advertising, I think this actually speaks to a consumer mindset insight that isn't fully addressed yet in mainstream marketing. How do consumers want to engage with their social media? What does social media actually do for them? What are they looking for it to provide? Do different types of social media fulfill different wants/needs? How are these prioritized? These are all questions that are just starting to get asked and hopefully new technology will continue to come out that help fuel the conversation and deliver some answers.
http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/marketers-world-disappearing-media/245294/
- Mallory Godwin
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