TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and others just have to watch out, Snapchat is far from having said its last word. While the social network, in the collective mind, seemed to stick to the role of ghost against its competitors, a study by Médiamétrie and Snap announced to us this Wednesday, April 13 that it was the most used among 15-49 years in January in France. In this age group, the little white ghost dominates the top-10, with 12.9 million daily users, or 57% of targeted Internet users, ahead of Facebook (12.3 million, 54%), Instagram (10, 8 million, 47%) and WhatsApp (10.5 million, 46%). TikTok, occupies the last place with 5.7 million daily users (25%). « We really saw an acceleration in use on all messaging platforms during the first confinement » explains Bertrand Krug, from Médiamétrie. A logical use, to stay in touch with loved ones. However, Snapchat, in the collective mind, suffers from a low-end image, for those who know it… How can such an image hide such success?
The new information tool for the youngest
The great strength of Snapchat is to have been able to capture a young audience, with diverse content. « The company has launched a service called Discover, which works on a partnership with the media, which creates specific content for the application, recalls Margot Déage, a sociologist who worked on the messaging service for a long time. Despite a complicated start, this content is very popular with young people, who use it to stay informed. » A service that is gaining in popularity as young people get information via their smartphones. In 2021, 50% of people under 30 got their news on their phone. « At the time when I worked at M6, we launched the program ‘Loris dans la rue’, the audiences were counted in millions of views », abounds Emmanuelle Patry, founder of the Social Media Lab. These informative stories are one of the determining factors in the success of Snapchat.
With media partners with prestigious reputations such as The world, the ghost social network wants to develop a more premium image. « Snap’s goal is to get out of this low-end image to sell more ads, » explains the sociologist. Currently, Snapchat’s informative section has 38 partners, including major press groups such as BFMTV, 20 Minutes, France TV, Radio France, Europe 1, Bein, The Parisian, but also the youtubeur journalist Hugo Décrypte. « Like ‘Lens’ filters and games, Discover keeps the user active and sells more advertising, » says the sociologist. On average, a user spends 49 minutes a day on the app and half of Snapchatters go to Discover every day.
Seduce older people
But the information is only part of the explanation for Snapchat’s success. « This social network is above all a messaging service, unlike Facebook, explains Emmanuelle Patry. 15-25 year olds use it a lot as their main messaging service. They create discussion groups by class and exchange with their loved ones in a more authentic way. . » Young people have always been numerous on Snapchat. The lower the age group, the more Snapchat widens the gap with its competitors. “We were already outperforming in the younger categories, but we are now capturing an older audience,” boasts David Sourenian, Marketing Science manager in France for Snap.
« The 25-34 year olds are early Snapchatters, but over 40, they come from elsewhere, » he explains. According to him, a large part of the adults over 40 present on the platform are there to monitor their children. “Older people are also attracted by the marketing that Snapchat deploys to this target on other media such as YouTube,” adds Emmanuelle Patry. « The application has also become much more ergonomic, adds Margot Déage. At its inception, and for a long time, there were no buttons to navigate the interface. To use it, you had to be initiated. »
Last but not least, the health crisis has greatly helped Snapchat attract older people. « Families wanted to keep in touch, and our application could help them do that, explains David Sourenian. Between 2020 and 2022, we gained 62% of users between 35 and 49 years old. » And they stay. « Unlike many of our competitors, we have a gap of around 7% between our daily users, and those who use the application at least once a month. » In other words, a large portion of Snapchatters use the app every day. David Sourenian also ensures that the platform has not lost users since the start of the health crisis. « Snapchatters like short-lived messages and the lack of ‘likes’ or ‘comments’ means that you can share authentic content, without comparing yourself, to whoever you want, when you want. »
The not so hidden side of Snapchat
Still, this messaging based on the ephemeral nature of the messages, can give rise to abuses. « Young people create ‘ficha’ groups to post compromising photos and videos of their comrades… There have been a lot of harassment problems with Snapchat », worries Margot Déage. In 2016, the French subsidiary of the application created a collective to collaborate with the police and the Net listening platform, but the social network remains braced on a sanctuary of private life. Snapchat claims to erase all data, keep nothing and not view private conversations.
“It has often been said that the idea of Snapchat came to Evan Spiegel, a very party animal, with the aim of sexting”, explains the sociologist. Arthur Toce, editor of NewTech Insider Europe confirms: « Success in the United States depends above all on sending nudes, it is on this use that Snapchat manages to convert so many between 14 and 16 years old. » The lack of moderation transforms the application into a den of illicit behavior (drug trafficking, pornography, etc.). « This does not concern the majority of users, but these practices surely correspond to part of the success”, considers Emmanuelle Party. “This content is theoretically totally prohibited on the application, explains Margot Déage. But it is very easy to send ‘private’ content virally, which Snap cannot therefore consult.” “Users are invited to report this content and our teams check and sanction users who share it”, assures his side David Sourenian Snapchat also fights against drug trafficking by blocking certain terms in the search bar and using the machine learning to detect photos of bottles and pills.
If Snapchat wants to polish its image so much, it’s mainly for reassure advertisers at a time when the platform is investing in the field of augmented reality advertising. « Our users don’t realize it, but they use augmented reality every day on our app. » After filters and games, the social network is investing heavily in these « sponsored experiences ». « The Snapchatter has fun with a Carrefour filter for example, sends it to his friends and that creates notoriety for the brand, everyone is happy, enthuses David Sourenian. For example, we have a filter that allows wear a Cartier watch in augmented reality. Even if the young person does not necessarily have the means to buy it, it is a dream, and he may buy it in 10 or 20 years. »
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