Both Snapchat and Facebook See TikTok as the Future of Social Media

Both Facebook and Snapchat made more than one revolution each. Facebook reinvented the then-strange format of social media and made it a platform for big commerce, Snapchat introduced disappearing messages and then made a public version of them, known as “stories” and embraced by others. Now, these former revolutionaries admit that the next big change is made by someone else, namely TikTok.

From Snapchat’s perspective, it’s the stories that indicate the shift. Now, less people watch stories on Snapchat, CEO Evan Spiegel admits. Not that the users migrate to TikTok: instead, they watch videos on Spotlight, Snapchat’s reply to TikTok. They also pay more attention to premium content on Discover. In the end, Snapchat keeps growing even despite heavy rivalry in the segment.

As for Facebook, the main indicator for this network is its daily user number that decreased in Q4 2021 for the first time in the company’s history. People migrate to TikTok to see more entertaining content in full-screen mode, Mark Zuckerberg admits in his turn. Unlike Snapchat, Facebook has no alternative to the format TikTok champions.

What does it mean for the future of these networks? Snapchat, as we see, already does react to the changes with its short video projects. As for Meta, it will probably not introduce TikTok-like modes on Facebook, leaving it to Instagram Reels and (possibly) for a certain expansion of WhatsApp statuses. After all, Snapchat used to be just a messenger once. In the meantime, TikTok becomes more of a marketing platform and a TV channel for public places, going far beyond mobile entertainment.

Do you think short video stories are the future of social media? Which of these three services did you spend the most time on? If you create these videos, do you prefer Snapchat or TikTok’s creative tools? Leave us a comment to share your position and attitude!