On Jan. 27, Snapchat, a photo messaging app that allows users to send nonpermanent images to other users, introduced an update that either delighted or enraged Snapchat users across the world.
To find the most notable change, open the app to the camera and swipe left twice to reveal the Discover feature. The Discover page offers the user access to content from various big-name outlets such as CNN, People Magazine and National Geographic. Staying true to the Snapchat tradition, the stories refresh every 24 hours because “what’s news today is history tomorrow,” according to the Snapchat website.
“Snapchat Discover is a new way to explore stories from different editorial teams,” Team Snapchat said on its blog. “It’s the result of collaboration with world-class leaders in media to build a storytelling format that puts the narrative first. This is not social media.”
Senior Matthew Rogers said he does not think it will become a useful source of information.
“They’ve got a smooth system, but I don’t think it’ll catch on,” Rogers said. “I think it’ll stay recreational. Unless you’re throwing news in someone’s face, I don’t think they’ll read it. The Discover feature isn’t in the way, and I’m pretty sure I found it on accident.”
For another new feature, Snapchat raised the QR code from the dead and breathed new life into it. According to the Snapchat website, each Snapchat user has a personalized QR code, which makes connecting with another user is as easy as taking a picture of their user profile.
Freshman Jenna Randolph, who said she Snapchats as much as she texts, loves the QR code feature and how fast and easy it is to connect with people. Users can still type in a username, but she said scanning the QR code is more fun.
According to ABC News, despite these innovative additions, the majority of the teen population is unhappy with Snapchat for taking away the best friend feature. Those upset flooded Twitter with their complaints. But Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has promised to make all things right.
“We’ll bring back BFs soon,” Spiegel said in a tweet. “A few higher-profile friends wanted to keep their usernames private — we’ll come up with a better way to do that.”
