Snapchat accounts recently got a major update.
One morning when I clicked on my Snapchat app, it told me to update or risk the app not working. I updated it and it sent me a message after the app started back up: “We’ve updated our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.”
Well, that’s not the important issue here. Not a lot people really read the terms and services. One of the biggest changes Snapchat made is the name.
Snapchat is no longer just “Snapchat.” On Sept. 24, the company decided to change its name to Snap Inc., with Snapchat being one of their products. According to the website, Snap Inc. is a “camera company” whose products are to “empower people to express themselves, learn about the world and have fun together.” That statement sounds pretty vague and cliché. Any other company could probably say the same thing.
So how are people going to “express themselves, learn about the world, and have fun together?”
According to a statement by Snapchat creator Evan Spiegal, the name change is a benefit because “when you search for our products it will be easier to find relevant product information rather than boring company information or financial analysis. You can search Snapchat or Spectacles for the fun stuff and leave Snap Inc. for the Wall Street crowd.” But what is considered “fun stuff?” That is confusing here.
When I initially looked up SNAP Inc. on Google, the first result was not the Snapchat company. It was a different “Snap Inc.” focused on technological services for government and private businesses. Looks like Snap Inc. did not look up the name availability ahead of time.
So far Snap Inc.’s only product in development are. Spectacles, a pair of sunglasses that lets you take videos and photos. Judging from Spectacles’ promotional video full of skateboarding hipsters in California, it looks more like a GoPro for sunglasses than anything really outstanding. Even the look of the glasses is not really that great.
Spectacles may suffer the same fate Google Glass had. According to a study done in 2014 by market research firm Toluna, 72 percent of Americans will not wear Google Glass due to concerns over privacy and distraction. If you think seeing your friend’s Snapchats while driving are bad, Spectacles will make it even worse. Google Glass did not really have a great reputation to begin with.
Why make something that could potentially be even worse?
Snapchat should just focus on how to make the app itself even better. Yes, the company needs to make money somehow but it is definitely not going to come from a pair of sunglasses. Snap Inc. is a bit of a confusing name as well because there are other Snap Incs. out there. A more appropriate name for the company should be Snapchat Co. The company should not be trying so hard to appeal to the future, the millennials and Wall Street.
