Users angry over latest social media update
By Meg Housholder
There’s been an overwhelming uproar over the new Snapchat update. The days of scrolling through stories no longer exist. Snapchatters are raging over the dual screens that separate friends, brands, publications or professional content. Am I the only one who feels like I see 10 stories a day as opposed to the 30-plus stories I used to see in the old layout?
The separation of content produced by friends and professionals was Snapchat’s main objective for the latest update. They wrote, “While blurring the lines between professional content creators and your friends has been an interesting Internet experiment, it has also produced some strange side effects (such as fake news) and made us feel like we have to perform for our friends rather than just express ourselves.”
I’d rather deal with fake news than not be able to find my favorite celebrities’ Snapchat stories. How am I supposed to keep up with the Kardashians? Speaking of, you know the new update is bad when Kylie Jenner, makeup mogul and Snapchat royalty, claims she won’t open the app anymore. Right after Jenner tweeted about the latest update, Snapchat experienced a plunge in valuation and stock price – a $1.5 billion plunge overnight.
In the midst of this social media catastrophe, there’s even been a petition signed by 1.2 million people telling Snapchat to reverse the changes. In response to the petition, Snapchat said, “We hear you and appreciate that you took the time to let us know how you feel. We completely understand the new Snapchat has felt uncomfortable for many.” Although over one million people participated in the petition, Snapchat has no intention on changing the layout any time soon. They said users will adapt to the new design over the next few months; so much for understanding how uncomfortable we are.
The new update may offer some good change. The redesigned Friends page adapts to users and displays stories and snaps from people they interact with the most, sending the least-interacted-with to the bottom of the page. It makes it easier to talk to the friends you want to talk to when you want to talk to them.
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger over at Instagram must be over the moon as Snapchat users are resorting to Instagram stories to share and connect with their friends. However, if you are a die-hard Snapchatter, you can get the old Snapchat layout back. Yes, it’s possible! First, you delete your app. Make sure to back up your memories beforehand. Then, change your settings to turn off automatic updates and re-download the app. Once the app has re-loaded, type in your email and click “Forgot Password.” Reset your password via your phone and log back in. Ta-da! You’re back to the old Snapchat.
To all the Snapchat users: don’t give up. If Snapchat hopes to survive the social media climate, it must pay more attention to its users.
