Instagram Stories Coming a Long Way
Looking back at the first glance of Instagram Stories it was a lot like Facebook stories today. "No one is going to catch on to that", Snapchat pretty much thought it had covered its bases with the platform it created and Instagram was just trying to keep up.
Now, however, Instagram stories have paved their way into our hearts and now get an individual spotlight because of being on a platform that had already been so widely used by brands. I stumbled across an article on SocialMedia Today talking about an additional feature that has been added that allows people to upload a photo from their camera role up to a week back rather than just from the last 24 hours. As those who have Snapchat know, you can add a photo from as far back as you want from your phones photos to your Snapchat Story. I see IG's goal here, they want to save photos for stories to be recent and fresh. If you can post any photo on your story what makes it any different than the ones on your profile? But nonetheless I think this is a step in the right direction for IG. I manage an IG account for a local business here in Athens and I can vouch that this feature can be a hassle to get around if your photo was saved longer than a day ago. I think eventually we will see Instagram allow any photo to be posted. But mainly this is significant because we see subtle steps being made by IG to stay competitive with Snapchat.
I was personally skeptical of the IG Story feature and now I use it more than Snapchat's news features, I now follow Instagram accounts like E! and they post virtually the same thing on their Snapchat feed, but because I am already on Instagram looking at friends posts, etc I watch my news there. It's subtle differences like this I notice that make me see just how volatile consumer behavior can be when a company utilizes all social channels for a person to have everything in one place. I truly believe Instagram is giving Snapchat a run for its money, but there is no doubt Snapchat is growing in users as well. The future is bright for both platforms and I am interested to see how they stay innovative over the next few years.
Now, however, Instagram stories have paved their way into our hearts and now get an individual spotlight because of being on a platform that had already been so widely used by brands. I stumbled across an article on SocialMedia Today talking about an additional feature that has been added that allows people to upload a photo from their camera role up to a week back rather than just from the last 24 hours. As those who have Snapchat know, you can add a photo from as far back as you want from your phones photos to your Snapchat Story. I see IG's goal here, they want to save photos for stories to be recent and fresh. If you can post any photo on your story what makes it any different than the ones on your profile? But nonetheless I think this is a step in the right direction for IG. I manage an IG account for a local business here in Athens and I can vouch that this feature can be a hassle to get around if your photo was saved longer than a day ago. I think eventually we will see Instagram allow any photo to be posted. But mainly this is significant because we see subtle steps being made by IG to stay competitive with Snapchat.
I was personally skeptical of the IG Story feature and now I use it more than Snapchat's news features, I now follow Instagram accounts like E! and they post virtually the same thing on their Snapchat feed, but because I am already on Instagram looking at friends posts, etc I watch my news there. It's subtle differences like this I notice that make me see just how volatile consumer behavior can be when a company utilizes all social channels for a person to have everything in one place. I truly believe Instagram is giving Snapchat a run for its money, but there is no doubt Snapchat is growing in users as well. The future is bright for both platforms and I am interested to see how they stay innovative over the next few years.
I completely agree with you in that I was at first skeptical of IG stories, but have found myself loving them. I still use Snapchat , however I use Instagram stories to post more appropriate pictures and content. I also think IG stories are easier to post than Snapchat, with their stickers and locations available on a separate page instead of having to swipe in order to find the one you are looking for. I also think IG stories also have a leg up on Snapchat because you can tag friends and locations in the stories and followers can easily click on these and go to your friend's page or the location you tagged to find out more.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see Instagram stories pick up like they did too! I thought I'd never use them but here I am. I love the penmanship options, and the text just looks so much more professional. It's very digital marketing friendly which is great. But I use the platforms pretty differently. I still go to Snapchat to post my less polished/silly thoughts and posts with friends. Instagram stories are for more put together posts as my audience is much larger on Insta. Snapchat has stepped up it's game with filters that don't compare to Instagram's... the map feature is kinda cool (and creepy), but I'd be sad to see Snapchat go if Insta beat it out. Great post! Love talking about this stuff.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I am on a UGA bus I see at least one person using Instagram or Snapchat. I see people producing more content through Snapchat, but scrolling through Instagram more. Now, I feel like people are tired of looking at pointless downtown videos or what they are eating videos, and people are becoming to just send more personalized material to their friends. I believe that adoption for Snapchat is increasing through younger people.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing! When Instagram stories first came out, I rolled my eyes and was so uninterested in the Snap Chat wannabe attempt. But now, I check Instagram stories regularly. Probably as much as I check Snap Chat. I like what Shelley said about using Instagram to post my more polished/put together posts. I also usually only use the writing tool on Instagram and never really on my Snap Chat posts. Interesting how that works! Great post!!
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