Snapchat’s Discover feature allows users to view curated content from major publishers, brands, and creators. It provides a platform for these entities to share videos, articles, quizzes, and more in a visually engaging, vertical format optimized for mobile. Since launching in 2015, Discover has become a core part of the Snapchat experience. However, some users have questioned whether they should be able to remove or disable the Discover section if they don’t use it frequently. There are pros and cons to consider regarding this question.
What is Discover on Snapchat?
Snapchat’s Discover feature is the hub for consuming short-form, mobile-first content within the app. It consists of tiles representing different publishers and creators that Snapchat partners with. Tapping on a tile opens a continuous stream of snap videos, articles, quizzes, slideshows, and more.
Discover content is vertically oriented and takes advantage of Snapchat’s full screen. Videos and snaps advance automatically, optimized for browsing quickly. There are also interactive advertising and shopping opportunities woven into Discover.
The Discover section sits to the left of the Camera section on the main Snapchat interface. It’s prominently featured and accessible with just one tap. Discover offers both established media brands and independent creators a platform to reach Snapchat’s young audience. Major partners have included ESPN, Buzzfeed, Cosmopolitan, Tastemade, and National Geographic.
The purpose of Discover
There are several key reasons why Snapchat developed and continues to invest in Discover:
– Generates revenue – Discover offers monetization through advertising and sponsorships. Media partners and Snap split this revenue. It has become a major income stream for Snapchat.
– Provides content – Discover offers professional, curated content for Snapchat users beyond just friend snaps. This keeps users engaged in the app.
– Promotes partners – Discover provides a new distribution channel for existing media companies to reach younger demographics. It gives Snapchat prestigious partnerships.
– Creates a media platform – Alongside Stories, Discover transforms Snapchat from just a messaging app into a full-fledged mobile media platform. This expansion helps Snapchat compete with the likes of Facebook.
– Encourages creativity – Vertical, full screen, auto-advancing content presents new creative opportunities for publishers compared to traditional websites and apps.
Overall, Discover aims to increase time spent in Snapchat, drive revenue, and establish Snapchat as a daily destination for quality content consumption.
The case for removing Discover
While Discover offers benefits for Snapchat and partners, some users argue they should be able to remove or opt out of the feature. Reasons include:
– Cluttered interface – With >10 Discover partners, the Discover screen can feel cluttered, especially as Snapchat expands into more sections like Spotlight and Map. Removing it would streamline Snapchat.
– Irrelevant content – Not all Discover content appeals to every user. For example, older users may not care about content from pop celebrities or Gen Z influencers.
– Limited control – Unlike a typical social feed, Snapchat autoplays Discover content with no way to skip or control it beyond closing the whole channel. This can be disruptive if you just want to message friends.
– Advertising overload – Heavy advertising and sponsorships inside Discover can make the experience feel overly commercialized for some users.
– Data privacy – Snapchat shares user data like viewing habits and interests with Discover partners to serve targeted ads. Some users may not be comfortable with this level of data collection.
– Distraction – For users who want to limit social media use for productivity, removing tempting Discover content could help avoid wasting time browsing.
So for certain segments of Snapchat users, removing Discover could provide a cleaner, more focused messaging experience and greater control over their feed and data privacy.
The case for keeping Discover
While a user opt-out makes sense in theory, there are also good reasons why Snapchat is unlikely to introduce the ability to remove Discover:
– Hurts growth – Snapchat needs Discover to boost overall time spent in the app, enrich content offerings, and ultimately drive growth and revenue. Letting users remove this key feature works against growth.
– Angers partners – Media partners rely on Snapchat for distribution and monetization. Letting users turn off Discover would degrade the value proposition for these strategic partners.
– Requires redesign – Removing Discover just for some users would complicate Snapchat’s clean, universal interface across platforms. Extra UI options could also clutter the settings.
– Segmentation challenges – It may be technically difficult for Snapchat to selectively show or hide Discover for certain users but not others. Developing and testing this ability would carry costs.
– Advertising impact – Allowing users to skip Discover would make Snapchat’s audience potentially less valuable to advertisers who want maximum reach across all users.
– Slippery slope – If any one section of Snapchat can be removed, users may start demanding other sections like Spotlight or Map also become optional. This could quickly fragment the app.
Overall the cost, complexity, risk of fragmentation, and negative impacts on growth likely outweigh any potential benefits of letting a subsection of users remove Discover.
Precedents from other platforms
Looking at how other major social/messaging platforms handle similar content hubs offers perspective:
Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is the home for video content on Facebook, similar to Snapchat Discover. However, Facebook does allow users to remove Watch from their shortcut bar and to an extent control Watch recommendations in their feed preferences. This points to options Snapchat could consider to give users some control over Discover.
Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels offers short-form, TikTok-like videos on Instagram, mostly from accounts users don’t follow. It resembles Discover content. Instagram automatically inserts Reels into feeds but doesn’t allow users to opt out or control their prominence. This follows Snapchat’s approach of making Discover a fixed presence.
YouTube Homepage
YouTube’s homepage feeds users videos optimized for engagement rather than just subscribed channels. Users can customize homepage content to a degree but not remove it entirely. There is no way to use YouTube while avoiding homepage recommendations. This again mirrors Snapchat’s required Discover tab.
TikTok
The TikTok feed is endlessly personalized based on user behaviors and interests but not controllable. TikTok, like Snapchat, wants to keep users engaged versus allowing them to simplify or limit the app’s content offerings. There is no way to remove certain content categories entirely.
So precedents support Snapchat’s position of maintaining Discover as an ever-present feature. No other major platform allows users to wholesale remove or opt out of their main content discovery features.
Potential compromises
If Snapchat did want to give users some control over Discover, there are a few potential compromises besides completely removing it:
– Curation preferences – Let users specify topics, creators, and publishers they are interested (or not interested) in to customize Discover recommendations.
– Limit Discover notifications – Users could mute or limit notifications from the Discover tab specifically. This prevents annoying notifications but still allows access.
– Reduce prominence – An option to move Discover further down the main Snapchat tab bar would make it less prominent but still available.
– Time limits – Users could limit time spent on Discover per day/week, discouraging binging behavior.
– Skip buttons – Adding the ability to skip Discover snaps from publishers you aren’t interested in could allow for a more customized experience.
– Discover-free mini mode – Snapchat could offer a pared down messaging-only interface without Discover for those looking for distraction-free chatting.
While these options add complexity, they do provide ways to balance Snapchat’s business interests with user control and customization around Discover.
Conclusion
In summary, removing Discover entirely goes against Snapchat’s key priorities around driving growth, engagement, and revenue. The costs and risks likely outweigh any benefits for a subset of users.
That said, Snapchat should explore options to give users more curation and control over Discover. Features like preferences, time limits, and feed management tools could find a middle ground between Snapchat’s goals and user concerns. A “Distraction-Free Mode” could even appeal to users seeking more mindful social media use.
With innovation and compromise, Snapchat may be able to keep Discover at the core of its platform while still addressing user concerns. But an outright removal option remains unlikely due to Discover’s strategic importance. The future most likely involves more personalization, not less Discover.