Stories are the future & why Facebook can’t kill Snapchat

It won’t need to

I have mentioned a number of times on my posts here on Medium about the rise of the story format and how it will be the future. Facebook’s obsession (too strong?) with the format does somewhat align with this.

Rather than attacking Facebook for repeatedly cloning Snapchat it’s time to look at the facts. Snapchat is a chat app / Instagram is a photo app / Facebook is a feed. (I’ll leave WhatsApp out of this)

My point here is that each time you got to one of these apps it’s for a different reason, each one has its own unique feel & purpose.

I ‘ve been making stories on Messenger Day for a few days now and honestly it feels a little bit like shouting in the street…

To explain what I’m talking about here, let’s look at Messenger. I have been making stories on Messenger Day for a few days now and honestly it feels a little bit like shouting in the street as opposed to Snapchat’s more closed off community type feel (and higher engagement — even with the competition) Instagram stories is sort of in-between, I really like the way I can jump into search & see stories Instagram thinks I’ll enjoy along the top.

I really like the way I can jump into search and see stories Instagram thinks I’ll enjoy along the top.

Facebook has now launched stories again on the actual Facebook app (not messenger) which I think will have a similar feel again to Messenger as it’s basically the same users. However this will definitely open the door for business accounts to use stories more. Snapchat though need not be concerned, the core vibe of Facebook is very different to Snapchat. As Snapchat pioneered ‘Stories’ those who use this feature regularly have grown supportive communities around it however Snapchat’s biggest problem is the way it works (or does not) with influencers.

In my opinion it’s much more likely Instagram will be the leader for ephemeral stories (and Snappd for the best stories) … Snapchat will continue to innovate the chat aspect of the app releasing new features along with new hardware that will forge its way as a camera company that facilitates chatting. Perhaps they will focus on more original programming like Planet Earth designed for mobile screens in an attempt to fill the gap left by creators who begin to spend more time creating stories on Instagram?

Who knows? 😀 One thing is for sure. The story format has proven to be one of the strongest forms of media for users to consume on mobile devices and this is only the start!

So in summary, my guess is that Facebook will not need to keep closing in on Snapchat & the story format as Snapchat will naturally move away itself to focus more on chat / hardware and a new type of discover think “mobile tv”. Leaving Instagram with a stronghold over ephemeral stories along with Snappd being the place to watch the best stories after 24 hours.