Ah – Snapchat. Yet another newish social media channel (launched in 2011). One that started out very niche, and did something slightly different with posts – they disappeared after a set amount of time.
Teens loved it; parents, not so much.
A lot has changed in five years. Snapchat is quickly becoming a go-to place for brands. Which means it can also work for us libraries!
Here are some recent facts about Snapchat:
- Snapchat is more popular than Twitter at the moment
- Snapchat has recently been the most popular app in Apple’s App Store (#2 right now)
- Snapchat have over 100 million users
- Millennials make up 71% of active users (18-34 demographic)
- Roughly 70% of users are women
- 1 billion Snapchat Stories are viewed every day
And here’s the biggest fact (well, ok – not really a fact, but …) – if you’re over 40, Snapchat seems to weird us out. Adults tend to find Snapchat confusing. Why? I think it’s because the app doesn’t have the normal labeling we have come to expect.
When you open up the app, you don’t get a box to type in – you get the camera. There aren’t menus – you either swipe left, right, or up (or you can click on the unlabeled icons).
So yeah – it’s not made for us. It’s made for people who instinctively know to just play around with it until they figure it out.
Wait a sec … why can’t that be us, too?
I think it can. Stay tuned for my next post on some “how to use it” basics!