Have you updated your Facebook mobile app recently? If so, you may have noticed the new Facebook Stories interface at the top of the app much like what was introduced on Instagram two years ago, which was based off the groundbreaking app Snapchat, launched in 2012. Although Snapchat was the first mobile app to introduce the concept of disappearing pictures and texts to the mainstream consumer, it is becoming increasingly obvious that 24-hour disappearing stories has become the Space Race of the digital world.
The answer lies in user-created content VS link-share content. Social media platforms are inherently build to be inspire social interaction. Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg has seen a dramatic decrease in user-created content and an uprising in news article shares, while social media platforms like Snapchat are based almost solely on user-to-user interaction. Like the needy only child it is, Facebook has now entered the 24-hour disappearing stories arena kicking and screaming.
As of now, these Facebook stories really haven’t caught on. This has a lot to do with why people are on certain platforms and how the engage with these interfaces. Think of why you personally use Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. If you are anything like me (a 27-year-old Social Media Director), this is how you break it down:
FACEBOOK – Photo albums and life milestones, sharing important news articles, creating and engaging with friend and community events, researching brands, and the occasional meme or two. All of my friends, family, and most of my work associates are on here.
INSTAGRAM – Sharing more photography-oriented photos of what ~inspired me~ visually that day. Occasionally I will use Instagram stories to showcase an artsy boomerang or share a video of something I don’t deem worthy of my Instagram feed. My good friends, my family, and barely any of my work associates are on here.
SNAPCHAT – Goofing around and interacting with my close circle of friends through videos and images that feel like inside jokes. I repeat, only my closest circle of friends are on here.
As you can see, my own use for each platform goes from more professional and curated, to more personal and spontaneous. As a person, not a company, I find the new Facebook Stories feature highly unattractive. My personal relationship to each platform dictates how and why I use them. Facebook is trying too hard to be all things, and in this way, seems to be losing its own personal branding by mimicking applications like Snapchat.
At any rate, Facebook Stories will be beneficial to companies as many people use Facebook to interact and keep track of brands they align with. It all comes down to how and when to use these Stories accurately to drive the highest potential ROI. That is where PMC Media Group comes in. We are always hunting for the latest social media interfaces with the most potential to reach your maximum target audience. Do you have any questions on Facebook Stories? Contact us!
