Some people joke about how it’s silly to buy a Snapchat+ subscription because it’s an app that seems to be becoming outdated. College-aged kids use it less and less as they mature, or at least that’s the trend I’ve noticed in my friends. But not enough people worry about what the growth of this type of subscription means. There is a reason that almost any app or website offers a “plus” or “premium” subscription nowadays, and it’s largely because platform developers can profit from them.
1. Invasion of Privacy
A lot of people I’ve talked to about this topic aren’t really aware of all the features available to people with special subscriptions on platforms like Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube and many more. Sometimes, people aren’t even aware that those subscriptions are an option. Most users know that they are there, but not what they do, which is a bit of a violation in itself.
A great case of this is Snapchat. They advertise that Snapchat+ allows you to choose your app icon, have a special badge, pin a #1 best friend, customize aesthetics within the app, have early access to new features, let people see who watches your stories and boost them for more views. However, you have to dig deeper to find multiple other features that this plus subscription offers. Some additional features Snapchat Plus has, which I think are a bit of an invasion for people that are unaware of them, are “Peek a Peek,” “Story Timestamps” and “Story View Notifications.” These features allow people with Plus to see when you are half-swiping or peeking into the chat, see what time you view their story and get notified when you view their story. More information about what Snapchat+ allows can be found on their website.
A majority of the people on Snapchat got the app when these characteristics weren’t available, so they’re used to the more private design that the earlier versions offered. They aren’t aware that they have less privacy than they used to before Snapchat+ was offered.
In addition, Instagram Plus also has some features that provide people without the subscription less privacy. For one, they allow subscribers to view stories without being on the viewer list for the person whose story they viewed. On Instagram’s website, they market this as a characteristic that protects privacy of the viewer, when it is more of an invasion of privacy since those who post something can’t see who views it. This could especially raise issues because someone could stalk another without them knowing, creating dangerous situations for users.
2. Decreases Immediate Quality and Usefulness of Platform
Honestly, every consumer should be mad even if they have the ability to buy subscriptions. The want to profit off these platforms has led companies to decrease the immediate quality of their services so you pay for things that may otherwise be free.
For example, Snapchat used to provide unlimited storage, but you now have to pay for it if you have over a certain amount of things saved. They took away a free feature, decreasing the quality of the free app you get in order to make storage exclusive to paying users. I personally have a ton of memories on Snapchat and now pay for storage because I didn’t want to get rid of middle-school me being cringey with my friends. However, I only pay for storage because I find the other features unnecessary.
I’m sure there are plenty of applications that could make many features free, but don’t because their main goal is to make as much money as possible, and developers know some people will indulge without fail.
3. Reinforces Social Inequality
There is another underlying facet of these features. Trends of overconsumption lead to those who can’t purchase things at the same quantity as others feeling badly about themselves, or just unhappy they can’t access something. These social media outlets already support consumerism in many other ways. However, the decrease in privacy offered by these platforms will disproportionately affect people who can’t buy them.
This is an actual disruption of safety for people who can’t afford to put money towards these platforms. It’s not that it’s owed to people by the companies, but it would be nice if they cared about making things equal since they are loaded with money anyways.
Overall, many social media platforms try to redesign themselves as time goes on. Some users like, use and buy these new features, while others don’t care or quit using the platforms because they feel it has been overcomplicated. It’s shocking to see apps basically enable stalking for people who can pay for these subscriptions.