Snapchat Discover was launched in 2015 as a new way for creators to share content within the Snapchat app. It features content from major publishers, media companies, celebrities and influencers. While Discover provides a platform for creativity, its unmoderated nature has also allowed more risqué and inappropriate content to flourish. Critics have blasted Discover’s lack of oversight and allowing overtly sexual and questionable material to be so easily accessed, especially by younger users.
What is Snapchat Discover?
Snapchat Discover is a feature within the Snapchat app that allows users to view curated content from media publishers, content creators and other organizations. Discover content consists of “Editions” – collections of snaps that tell a story or provide news and information. Users can subscribe to receive editions from particular publishers daily.
Discover provides a new platform for established publishers to reach the Snapchat audience. Major companies like ESPN, Cosmopolitan, Food Network and National Geographic all have Discover channels. Smaller publishers and individual creators can also have their own channel approved by Snapchat.
The Discover feature brings picture and video content into Snapchat in a magazine-like format. Editions contain about 5-10 snaps which users can tap through vertically. The snaps may include text, images, graphics and video. Unlike typical Snapchat stories, Discover editions remain viewable for 24 hours rather than disappearing after viewing.
The Pros of Snapchat Discover
Snapchat Discover has some positive aspects and has proven popular among Snapchatters:
– Provides a new outlet for established media brands to reach younger demographics who use Snapchat daily. This gives them exposure to millennial and Gen Z audiences.
– Gives emerging creators and smaller publishers a massive platform to build an audience. Creators can reach tens of millions of Snapchat users.
– Snappy, vertically formatted content fits the Snapchat experience of quick, on-the-go viewing.
– The Discover format brings multimedia storytelling with text, images and video in a mobile-friendly experience.
– Content spans a wide range of categories including news, entertainment, gaming, sports and more. There’s something for all interests.
– Discover editions combine the publisher’s brand with the popular features of Snapchat like filters and lenses. This creates a more fun way to engage with the content.
The Cons of Snapchat Discover
While Discover provides some benefits, it has come under heavy criticism for several problems:
– **Lack of content moderation** – All Discover content is approved by Snapchat, but once live there is little to no active moderation. This allows overtly sexual, profane and inappropriate content to be posted.
– **Explicit and suggestive imagery** – Some Discover channels routinely include revealing images, crude references and sexually provocative captions. This material can be easily viewed by the underage demographic that uses Snapchat.
– **Promotion of pornography accounts** – There have been multiple instances of Discover channels directing users to access or subscribe to adult content accounts on other platforms.
– **Advertising adult services** – Some channels have included snaps that directly advertise services like escort agencies and private webcam shows.
– **Drug references** – Despite Snapchat’s terms prohibiting illegal drug promotion, some Discover content has included overt references to drug use and buying drugs.
– **Racial insensitivity** – A few channels have included content that makes racially insensitive comments or includes racial stereotypes.
– **Misinformation** – Snapchat does not fact check Discover, allowing publishers to potentially spread false or misleading information on topics like COVID-19, politics and more without oversight.
Oversight and Content Moderation
The core issue around Snapchat Discover is the lack of oversight and content moderation after editions go live. Protecting user safety and preventing abuse should be a priority for any social platform. However, Snapchat has taken a hands off approach, allowing anything to be published.
Other social networks like Instagram and TikTok use a combination of human moderators and AI technology to identify inappropriate content and either remove it or age-restrict it. Abuse and guidelines violations can also result in publisher accounts being suspended.
But Snapchat Discover suffers from:
– No pre-screening of content beyond initial approval
– No automated detection of inappropriate content
– No age restrictions based on content
– No active monitoring of compliance with Snapchat’s own community guidelines
– No repercussions for repeated violations of guidelines
This means any publisher can routinely include overtly sexual imagery, profanity, drug references and inappropriate topics without consequence. Snapchat is relying entirely on users to report any guideline violations after the fact. But this is ineffective when problematic content gets views the moment it goes live.
Many have called for Snapchat to take responsibility and implement both human and automated oversight of Discover. This would help enforce their own rules on mature content, drugs, harassment and other issues.
But Snapchat has shown no indications yet that more stringent Discover moderation is planned.
Snapchat’s Questionable Defense
In response to ongoing criticism, Snapchat has defended their hands-off stance:
– They say parents should be responsible for monitoring their children’s use if they don’t want them exposed to mature content.
– They view Discovery as an “editorial content platform” so they don’t want to censor publisher’s freedom of speech and expression.
– They claim there are systems to prevent under 13 year olds from accessing Snapchat, although workarounds are common.
– They say users can easily skip or unsubscribe from any Discover channel they find objectionable.
But many have reasonable countered these defenses:
– Relying solely on parental control is ineffective when content is so easily accessible and spreads virally.
– Unrestricted freedom of speech doesn’t apply when content violates platform guidelines designed to protect users.
– Systems to verify ages are clearly inadequate when mature content is so visible.
– The onus shouldn’t be on users to avoid inappropriate content in a platform used by millions of teens.
Overall, Snapchat’s stance comes across as irresponsible and tone-deaf. Allowing a free-for-all of unmoderated content poses risks and simply isn’t acceptable for one of the most popular apps among younger users today.
Snapchat’s Questionable Relationships
There are also concerning connections between Snapchat and specific Discover publishers of sexually-charged and controversial content.
Snapchat’s Relationship with Daily Mail
One of Discover’s most popular channels is Daily Mail, the British tabloid newspaper. Daily Mail has faced extensive criticism for its overtly sexual and suggestive content. Their Snapchat Discover edition routinely contains revealing photos of women with explicit captions.
Many have called for Snapchat to drop Daily Mail given their non-compliance with platform guidelines. But Daily Mail remains a flagship Discover channel.
Critics point to the close financial ties between Snapchat and Daily Mail’s parent company as the reason they are untouchable. In 2017, Snapchat’s parent company Snap invested $50 million into Daily Mail’s owner as part of a strategic partnership.
This gives Daily Mail immunity to violate Snapchat’s content rules. Their viral growth is also fueled by Snapchat constantly promoting and featuring their content over other Discover channels.
Snapchat’s Relationship with Banana Magazine
Banana Magazine is an online publication focused on erotic photography and adult industry news. It is among the Discover channels that regularly promotes escort services and includes sexually explicit imagery.
Snapchat has been questioned for approving this risqué brand for Discover in the first place. But their close business ties explain it.
The CEO of Banana Magazine’s parent company is also an executive at Snapchat. He previously held positions like Head of Research and Head of Content Analytics at Snapchat.
He seems to have used his connections at Snapchat to get the Banana Magazine channel approved, despite their content going against Snapchat’s family-friendly policies.
These questionable relationships between Snapchat’s decision makers and publishers of mature content demonstrate clear conflicts of interest. Close ties facilitate content that would normally not be approved or would be removed.
Popular Culture Trends
Beyond just Snapchat’s specific issues, Discover reflects some wider trends in popular internet culture that promote more extreme and sexualized content.
The Rise of Raunchy Content
Discover joins a growing array of popular apps and platforms like OnlyFans that host more graphic and racy content beyond traditional sensibilities. Social norms of what’s acceptable are shifting to tolerate and celebrate more sexually provocative material.
But while there’s a place for adult content, platforms designed for a general audience like Snapchat should aim to moderate it. However, Snapchat risks losing engagement if it doesn’t match edgier cultural trends. This may explain their lax oversight to date.
The Outrage Factor
Some Discover content seems designed specifically to shock or offend as a tactic for gaining attention. Outrage drives engagement. There are no repercussions for crossing lines, so channels push further to get notoriety and views.
Discover publishers are taking advantage of Snapchat’s hands-off lack of standards to maximize their own profits. But Snapchat is also profiting massively off increased advertising revenue from the engagement spikes, with no concern for any collateral damage.
Influencer Culture Normalizing Explicit Content
Discover features influencers and creators who have built huge followings from posting sexualized content. Massive cultural power is now concentrated in the hands of individuals who gained fame from objectifying bodies and saturating social media with graphic imagery.
Their presence on Discover further propagates the view that overtly sexual content is a validated path to money, fame and popularity. Impressionable young users see these influencers as aspirational figures worth emulating.
Negative Impacts on Users
While edgy, unfiltered content might be viewed as harmless fun, many experts warn it can have harmful impacts, especially on younger users.
Over-sexualization Concerns
The easily accessible sexually explicit content on Discover contributes to the early over-sexualization of young people. Children are exposed to graphic concepts before developing the maturity to properly process it. This can negatively shape their attitudes and values around sex and relationships.
Unrealistic Beauty Standards
Discover content saturated with edited, airbrushed and filtered imagery of idealized bodies contributes to distorted beauty standards. This creates severe body image issues and low self-esteem, particularly in girls.
Glamorizing Drug Use
Content referencing drug use and buying drugs, especially from influencers with impressionable followings, helps normalize and glamorize dangerous illegal behavior. This can encourage substance abuse.
Desensitization
The constant exposure to explicit content can desensitize developing minds and dull reactions to things that should shock and alarm. This alters perceptions of what’s acceptable.
Increased Harassment
Overtly sexual content and objectification of bodies contributes to greater harassment and bullying in digital spaces. This causes emotional distress, especially for young female users.
The hands-off approach of platforms like Snapchat Discover ignores how easily available graphic content can shape attitudes and norms in very harmful ways for vulnerable users.
Demand for Change
Snapchat letting anything go on Discover with no oversight sets a dangerous precedent for social platforms. Critics including child safety advocates, parents groups and lawmakers have called for change:
– **Stricter content policies** – Platforms must update their rules on mature content to reflect protection of minors using their services. Loopholes must be closed.
– **Active moderation** – Daily human oversight of content paired with AI tools to screen for policy violations before publishing.
– **Age restrictions** – Adult-oriented content must be age gated to prevent underage access. Age verification measures should be strengthened.
– **Transparency** – Regular reporting from platforms on content flagged, prohibited, and removed to evaluate enforcement. Public data provides accountability.
– **Regulatory action** – Potential government action and fines against platforms that fail to police content and ensure user safety.
Conclusion
Snapchat Discover highlights the need for social platforms like Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram to take far more responsibility over content. Allowing anything goes might boost profits and engagement, but it comes at the cost of user protection. Stricter content policies paired with proactive moderation are essential.
Relying on parents and users to block offensive content themselves is a weak defense. The onus is on platforms with young user bases to actively identify and restrict inappropriate material contributing to harm.
Discover may reflect loosening social norms and testing boundaries. But platforms should draw clearer lines to discourage content clearly violating common decency, even if it affects certain publishers’ reach. Profits shouldn’t come at the expense of young users’ well-being.
Overall, Snapchat must answer for Discover facilitating the spread of overtly sexual and inappropriate content to millions, including underage users. More stringent oversight and accountability are clearly needed to address these urgent issues. The current laissez-faire approach is reckless and indefensible.