Hi, friends, I’m a Snapchat user. I’m not (what I like to call) a Super Snapper or even (what I like to call) a Sucky Snapper. I don’t check my Snapchat every five minutes or post 47 pictures and videos to my story throughout the day like Super Snappers; I also don’t leave my snaps hanging out in the vast cavern of the Snapchat sphere as some Sucky Snapper do. I’m more of a middle ground.
I’m more of a Standard Snapper — this is the name I give to the average snapper who checks their snaps every once in a while, often replying in a timely manner. These people add to their stories every once in a while, perhaps a few times a day, even. Snapchat is not their best friend, nor their enemy. It’s just sort of there for them, a way to connect with the world and send some pictures to friends as a means of communication.
Image source: Pexels, Oleg Magni
As a Standard Snapper, I liked the old ways of Snapchat. It was orderly. Convenient.
Snaps were on one side, where they were put in chronological order, while the right side had Snapchat stories. It was nice this way because, as someone who doesn’t always like looking at stories, I had a nice, tidy spot where I could just focus on my snaps and another nice, tidy spot where I could focus on my stories, should I choose to peruse that side. Everything was calm. Zen, almost.
And then came the chaos.
Two words: Snapchat Update. With this update (which was forced upon me), everything has gone wrong. No longer are stories and snaps separated — no, instead, everything is mixed around like a tornado. It’s crazy, people. Crazy!
Image source: Unsplash, Gabriel Matula
Not only is it not user-friendly because EVERYTHING is put into chronological order (thus pushing down peoples’ usernames that may often be used by you in order to make room for someone’s story), but it is also visually displeasing. The Bitmoji characters for the people who don’t have anything on their story create an amount of white space on the left part of the screen that looks intense next to the large preview-icons of the other people’s stories. Plus, because everyone is mixed in, it’s confusing to find someone’s name that would normally be at the top (especially if you’re like me and only snap people once a day).
Image source: Unsplash, Andre Hunter
Why, Snapchat? Why?
I suppose that for all of this hate, there should be some sunshine to this article as well. So I shall say this: the only great thing about the Snapchat update is that Bitmojis are now put next to people’s names instead of a ghost icon. This part I can live with.
As for the rest, I truly hope that Snapchat heeds everyone’s (okay, almost everyone’s) angry tweets and messages and finally switches its layout to the older format. Keeping it this way may lose some support for their brand given the widespread confusion and anger toward this update. Just keep the Bitmoji part, Snapchat, and we’ll all forgive you. I promise.
Cover image source: Pexels