A week ago, Snapchat rolled out a redesign intended to ‘separate’ interactions from friends with branded content.
Snapchat recently altered the course of human history with an intense update to its app. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But people are seriously not happy with the new Snapchat and REALLY want the old Snapchat back. Why? The new Snapchat splits up sections that had previously been joined together. Messages to and from friends are now separate from celebrity and brand content. The split means that seeing what Kylie Jenner posts to her Story doesn’t feel personal anymore.
A petition calling on Snapchat to reverse a controversial app update has now been signed by more than one million people.
So, what does Snapchat have to say about all the outrage? Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has basically been laughing in the face of angry users(The same ones who make his $4.4 billion net worth possible).He said that time is all users need to get comfortable with the changes.
“We’re excited about what we’re seeing so far,” Spiegel said. “The best part is that even some of the complaints we’re seeing reinforce the philosophy [behind the design].”
For example, one of the complaints we got, you know was,”¬†wow I used to feel like this celebrity was my friend and now they don‚Äôt feel like my friend anymore”. And we‚Äôre like, exactly. They‚Äôre not your friend.
“So for us, even some of the frustrations we’re seeing really validate those changes. And it’ll take time for people to adjust. But for me having used it now for a couple months, I feel way more attached to and invested in the service than I ever have.”
But maybe the real reason why we probably won’t see a change anytime soon could spell Snapchat’s eventual demise: The company deliberately misunderstands its user base. It hears feedback and goes in the opposite direction. Only time will tell what happens next.
