Snapchat: Thanks For The Memories

Snapchat just mastered the reappearing act. That’s right. On July 5th, Snapchat unveiled it’s newest feature, “Memories,” which allows users to save and share old snaps for future use. This update significantly shifts the role Snapchat plays within the social media world and ultimately reflects the app’s growing association as the default camera for its users. So go ahead, update your app to see what’s in store — or should we say, in storage?

Let’s be honest. Maybe you actually read the instructions and found “Memories” in Snapchat the first time around, but probably not. Personally, after clicking “Start Using Memories,” I felt like I lost all higher brain function. So. Many. Photos. To map it out, there’s three options: Snaps, Camera Roll, and My Eyes Only. I was instantly intrigued by the mystery of the third option. You even have to create a passcode — one that Snapchat can’t recover if you forget it, so choose wisely.

Let’s dig deeper into what this update entails. This is the game changer: you can upload photos from your camera roll and mix them with your past snaps to create a Story. After selecting the appropriate photos, you are sent to the laboratory, or in other words, a behind-the-scenes “My Story” that lets you edit each individual image. This scared me to death — I nearly made my Story live when I was testing it. That being said, the ability to change the timestamps, filters, and geofilters was pretty rad. I do want to note that after I exited Snapchat, I found it excruciatingly difficult to figure out how to edit the Story I had just pieced together in Memories. I eventually found that pressing my thumb down on the circle-shaped Story would transport me into editing mode. Yes, circles and rectangles matter in this app. To say the least, I was ecstatic to see my newly-created Story in the shape of a circle.

So what importance do circles, squares, and Memories have in both the social media world and the Snapchat world? Lots. The raw elements of Snapchat have officially disappeared. For the past year, Snapchat easily took first place when it came to organic photographic elements and excluding advertisements. It was purely social and connective. Those days are over. In my opinion, this recent update is essential for Snapchat to make more money and become more business-friendly in the long run. Go ahead, say hello to those advertisements. There has been no official statement about advertisers getting to feverishly target users with ads in “Memories,” but experience tells me that it’s coming. From a business perspective, this is gold, and I’m sure Facebook and Instagram are already squirming in their seats. The competition just got real, and real quick. Overall, I foresee endless opportunities for businesses on Snapchat, and this opens a whole new door for the platform.

Speaking of endless opportunities, Snapchat users are going to feel the same way, but not for long. Just like every other social media platform that has ever existed, advertisements will take over something dear to users — raw connection. At first, users will spend hours building their perfect “Memory” and thoroughly enjoy reminiscing. But remember that saying, all good things come to an end? If Snapchat doesn’t play its cards correctly, there may be a new app in town in the next few years. While users are distracted by their sparkling new toy, advertisements will trickle in and then completely take over, just like on Facebook. Users will become frustrated and latch onto the next hip thing.

In the end, Snapchat made a huge move by adding “Memories” to its app. It gives users a chance to expand their horizons in the world of photography and allows new opportunities for older generations to latch onto the app. Businesses should be jumping for joy. This update will ultimately lead to stronger creative freedom, more ROI, a broader audience range, and a high potential for advertisements. Whether “Memories” also makes Snapchat lose its identity among all the other social media platforms out there, we’ll have to wait and see.

— Diana Mabie, Social Media Manager

#socialmedia #socialmediamanager #snapchat #technology #socialmediaupdates