INSTAGRAM STORIES VS SNAPCHAT STORIES

Snapchat and Instagram are, without question, the two most popular photo sharing apps in the world. Until recently, that was where the similarities between the two ended, with both apps serving very different purposes. Now, with the introduction of Instagram Stories, the lines are being blurred.

Instagram Stories allows users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours, which is the same function offered by Snapchat Stories. The similarities don’t end there, alongside an almost identical interface, users can write and draw on their pictures and videos before sharing them, much like Snapchat.

A circular row of avatars, displayed according to an algorithm that shows your favourite accounts first, is located at the top of the Instagram feed. While there is no like function, users can reply to stories with messages sent by Instagram Direct. The privacy of your story mirrors that of your account, either public and visible to anyone or private and visible only to your followers. You can also choose to hide your story from anyone, even if they follow you.

This could encourage users to post on Instagram more frequently and more candidly; rather than selecting carefully edited and curated images and worrying about over posting. Instagram has described this update to their platform as being “a place to share your highlights and everything in between, too.” Stories facilities the idea of capturing a moment with a focus on creativity and spontaneity, something that Snapchat has been particularly successful with.

However, the user base of Instagram is different to that of Snapchat. While Instagram has over 300 million daily users compared to Snapchat’s 150 million, Snapchat is almost exclusively used by millennials. The kind of content that is popular and shareable on Snapchat might not translate as well to Instagram’s platform or audience, even if this content is housed in a different feed.

With brands like Nike already reposting huge levels of engagement on their Instagram Stories, it will be interesting to see how the service develops and if it will impact on Snapchat’s popularity. While Snapchat has not officially responded to Instagram, it’s also interesting to consider if Snapchat will now make any changes to their platform to differentiate themselves once again. We have to wonder if Snapchat is now the one paving the way of social media future, while Facebook (the tech giant who own Instagram) is simply following in the footsteps of those with more innovative ideas.