Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that recently, the popular social media app Snapchat introduced a new update to the app – one that drastically redesigned the way that the app was formatted.
If you need a refresher, here’s a quick recap: since launching the update in early February, fans of the app have retaliated and have made it well-known that the update is not their favorite. A Change.org petition to revert the app back to the old format garnered over a million signatures and most recently, after a tweet from social media mogul Kylie Jenner, Snapchat lost 1.3 billion dollars from their stock.
Fans of the app want the old, more intuitive update back, and I can’t say I blame them. As a user of the app for about four years, it is overwhelmingly my favorite social media app. I have several streaks and love being able to share in the small, big and ridiculous moments in my friends’ lives. It helps me stay connected to friends I have across the country because it helps me feel closer to them despite the distance. Since entering college, I have posted on my Story about once a day (as annoying as that may be) and use it far more than any other social media app.
However, since the introduction of the new update, I noticed that in the past few weeks, I have been going on Snapchat less and less – from several times a day to maybe once at the end of the night. My friends have been using it less, my stories have been getting less views and I don’t feel inclined to check it due to how difficult the app is to navigate.
Which is why I need to ask the question on everyone’s minds – Snapchat, why the hell did you mess with a good thing? You had a productively laid out, intuitive interface that people loved and, most importantly, was easy to use. Stories were on one page, friends were on another, and I could easily find my friends’ posts as well as those from any celebrities I follow.
I don’t think this update was a good idea, and though I know I’m essentially stuck with it, I’m unhappy with how bleak the fate of one of my favorite social medias is looking. I really don’t know what Snapchat was thinking – and I really hope they listen to the fans of the app that are using it less and less.
Personally, I think I’ll stick with Instagram stories until they either go back to the old version or make their new update a little easier to use.