The visual social media app is preparing for its initial public offering by proving to potential investors that it’s serious about policing its content—and that it can appeal to more than just millennial users.
On Monday, Snapchat updated its publishing guidelines to cut down on both fake news stories and risqué content.
The new rules more explicitly restrict publishers from posting questionable pictures on Discover that do not have news or editorial value. Snapchat also clarified guidelines that prevent publishers from including reports or links to outside websites that could be considered fake news, saying that all content must be fact-checked and accurate.
The changes aim to “empower our editorial partners to do their part to keep Snapchat an informative, factual and safe environment for everyone,” said Rachel Racusen, a spokeswoman for the company.
Here’s a type of story the new guidelines seek to cut down on, according to The New York Times:
On Snapchat last week, MTV published an article with the headline “Is this the thirstiest person on earth?” The article, which ran on Snapchat’s news service, Discover, appeared with a picture of a bikini-clad blond woman taking a selfie, even though the piece was about a fully clothed man.
False stories and clickbait headlines has been a growing problem for social media platforms.
Americans have been riddled with fake news; 88% of adults admitted that fake news had caused either “some” or “a great deal” of confusion, Pew Research Center reported last month.
Facebook and Google, after facing criticism following the U.S. presidential election, instituted features to fight fake news. Facebook rolled out the features to German users ahead of the nation’s elections, too.
The publishing guidelines also seek to restrict inappropriate content—or at least, prevent younger users from accessing it.
The New York Times reported:
Snapchat said it also planned to give publishers a tool in February that would allow them to age-gate content, or stop minors from seeing some content altogether.
The feature is intended to safeguard the app from future legal issues.
Quartz reported:
Last year, Snapchat was sued because its media partners posted highly sexual content. Snap noted that it does not see the content of its Discover partners before they post.
"We take the responsibility of being a source of news, entertainment and information for our community of more than 150 million daily active Snapchatters very seriously," a Snap spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "Snapchatters are curious about the world. They want to know about what's important, not just what's popular. They want to see and experience new things - unique stories from credible voices and varied perspectives."
Snapchat guidelines cater to new users
The publishing guidelines come alongside the platform’s new interface, which became available to iOS users yesterday.
[RELATED: The 2017 Social Media Conference for PR, Marketing and Corporate Communicators at Disney World.]
The update—which has been available to Android users for a month—includes a search bar that users can employ to find groups, Discover publishers, friends and more.
By tapping into the Search box, a new overlay appears, letting you quickly access friends’ messages or stories through its “Quick Chat” suggestions, connect with your group chats, flip through a list of new friends, add others, or find friends in your contacts
Even though the layout has received mixed reactions from active Snapchat users, it’s a step toward making the app friendlier to newcomers, as well as marketers and investors.
Techcrunch reported:
The app has long been criticized for being too hard to navigate – something that gave it a bit of “secret club” status among its core demographic of young adults. After all, if the grown-ups can’t figure out how to use the app’s complicated swipe-gestures to move around and find its features, maybe they’ll just stay away.
While this has helped to contribute to the app’s coolness factor, it’s maybe not as good a look for a company that now wants to cater to brands and advertisers, grow its revenue, and potentially IPO in the year ahead.
What do you think, PR Daily users? Will the features enable Snapchat to freshen its appearance and appeal to more consumers (and advertising partners)?
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