With all this talk of TikTok bans, Triller takeovers, Instagram Reels, and so many more, we've almost forgotten about Snapchat, the video-sharing platform that's been consistently popular with Gen Z for years.
Earlier this month, Snapchat partnered with TikTok juggernauts Jalaia Harmon (Renegade creator who recently starred in Sufjan Stevens's Video Games video), Dixie D'Amelio, Loren Gray, and Sarati to debut a series of Lenses specifically made to be shared on TikTok to remind us all of how Snapchat was early in popularising AR filters.
In the spirit of sharing, Snapchat's latest experiment makes sharing content created on the app much easier. According to Axios, the platform will now allow users to post Snap Originals, Shows, and Publisher Stories outside the app with easy-to-share links. These links will direct viewers to either the Snapchat app or a browser-friendly version of the content. This means you can share links to publicly available Snaps via iMessage and on other social platforms. Soon we might start seeing Snaps going viral like TikToks or Vines, which made sharing content easy thus ensuring their reign as meme-factories and trend mills.
Axios also learned that Snapchat is rebranding the "For You" page and looking into a new "Spotlight" page that will feature, "content from Snap creators, curated Snapchat stories, and premium content, including 'Discover' shows and 'Publisher Stories.'"
This seems part of a broader pattern to make Snapchat a less isolated platform and one that seems a more natural substitute in the event that TikTok does get banned. In mid-July, Snapchat started testing a vertical scroll feature that would make its public content look and feel more like TikTok's For You page. By recruiting top-tier TikTok talent and aiming the new lenses at the platform, it suggests a peaceful coexistence between the two.