Snapchat is well known for two things: the ephemeral way of sharing user generated content called Stories and augmented face masks. They have been the biggest selling point of the app and they were so forward thinking to the point where Facebook decided to copy everything and splash it around their app ecosystem.
However, it seems like Snapchat wants to change the fundamental aspect of a feature that we thought would be the trend from now on.
According to Reuters, sources tell them that Snap is mulling over changes to Snapchat where they could make posts longer lasting or even permanent.
They are also apparently mulling over an option to reveal the identity of Snapchat users who make their posts public. A person will still have an option to delete those Stories. Snapchat is weighing the legal, technical and privacy issues of this matter.
This changes are apparently a move to bolster their ‘Our Story’ section which will keep the content shared publicly on that platform. This could be geared to keep the current user base as well as lure more people to the platform.
This move is certainly a bold one from Snapchat. This is the very thing that made Snapchat popular. The fact that you can share something and it disappears was odd at first, but people found it to be a interesting way to share your day and it became more popular. Making Stories remain permanent will make them seem like regular posts and this will be weird in Snapchat’s case, unlike Instagram which had this before with the regular timeline.
SnapChat is no stranger to drastic changes. In the past, they have made drastic changes to their user interface that has made people mad and made even celebrities say they’ll move away from it.
