Snapchat: from adolescent hype to new (journalism) medium?

Snapchat is a popular social media channel among young people. Traditional news media are more than ever looking to connect with this younger target group. In this study, we therefore focused on the adoption potential of Snapchat as a news and branding channel for legacy media to reach young people.

Research

This project is structured around three research phases. In a first wave of research, an online survey was distributed that was completed by 1406 Snapchatters between the ages of 15 and 24 and provided additional insight into Snapchat use, news consumption and the attitude towards Snapchat branding. In a second research phase, 5 focus group interviews were conducted with the same target group of young people to further deepen and supplement the survey results and the findings from desk research. In a final phase, 5 expert interviews were conducted with the aim of testing the results against the expertise of the professional field and contextualizing them.

Results

The research results indicate, among other things, that:

(1) Snapchat mainly offers potential as a branding tool and is less suitable as a news channel,

(2) the positive findings regarding Snapchat should be embedded in a broader context. The competition from other social media that are often frequented by young people, such as Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Musical.ly, is correspondingly high.

(3) there are still major questions regarding the format and content that media companies should offer on Snapchat and, by extension, on the other social media channels.

Valorisation

The PWO study into the adoption potential of Snapchat as a news and branding channel for media companies to reach young people showed that Snapchat mainly offers potential as a branding tool and is less suitable as a news channel. We will focus on the positive findings of Snapchat as a branding channel for media companies to reach young people between the ages of 15 and 24 at a study day that will take place on 8 December 2017. Flemish media companies will share their experiences and look for good practices. In addition, we are developing a workshop in which the strategic and practical use of Snapchat is central.