Snap Inc recently released a new feature to their popular messaging app Snapchat. It allows users to bring up a map in the app and see what is going on anywhere in the world. This feature is called Snap Map, and while it is already being met with criticism, being called a privacy threat, it’s actually a pretty big deal.
I first started using Snap Map late last week. At first it seemed very similar to their Discovery feature, which essentially lets you see curated stories from stuff going on around you.
It seemed like the stories you’d normally see in the Discovery area had been moved onto to the map and out of the list.
I soon realized that I could pan around the map and view stories at events happening in a completely different country.
In the past, it was only possible to view certain faraway stories, usually major events or protests.
Snap Map could have ended there, and it would have been a welcome addition to Snapchat.
They took it one step further, though, by adding a heat map overlay on the map, allowing you to see areas on the map with a lot of stories.
If you're interested in seeing what is going on, tap on that spot on the map, and it will load the snaps.
Last night, I watched someone in northern Canada splitting wood and watching some guys in India goofing around and dancing.
This is what makes this feature killer — and why it’s a big deal.
Snap Map is the new News Feed
Social networks have been around since the internet was a niche product.
In the beginning you could only share text, which then evolved into images, and today you are able to go live on Facebook and possibly witness a clown murderer.
Facebook does a great job letting you share images and silly political rhetoric with your friends. The things you post on Facebook tend to be less candid and a bit more serious. Facebook is like a photo album — you only want to share the good parts, because that’s how you want to be remembered. Snapchat has no concept of history, letting you live in the moment. It's more akin to what happens in between each picture you share on Facebook.
Remember how I mentioned I was able to watch some person in northern Canada splitting wood? That was the moment I realized that this feature was a game changer.
I am very much a progressive "Bernie Bro," and I tend to surround myself with people that are similar to me. This gives me a completely distorted view on reality. The same can be said for a die hard Trumpette. Neither of us really understands the other one, but now with Snap Map we sort of can.
If Snap Map can gain traction, I think it’s going to make the world much smaller. Now, if I want to see what is going on in Mongolia, I can open the map, tap on Mongolia, and see what people are up to. Likewise, if I want to know what is going on in Alabama or North Carolina, I can do that, too. This is the new news feed.
It finally offers discoverability
The major pain point of Snapchat was how difficult it was to discover interesting people to follow on the platform. They made it slightly easier with Snap Codes, but you still had to know that person from a different platform such as YouTube, Instagram, or Twitter, to get the Snap Code to follow them. Snap Map could make it easier to follow users and see their public Snaps in your stories timeline.
Why else is this a big deal? Right now, Snapchat doesn’t generate a ton of revenue. It’s reported that they could reach $1 billion in revenue in 2017, so they do generate revenue — just not as much as their competition. If they are able to give creators a legitimate way to build a following and can build in a partner program similar to YouTube, they could grow their revenue and users.
So Snap Map is a really cool feature. If you haven’t used it yet, open the app, pinch the camera (like you are zooming out), and you should see it expand out to a map. From there, swipe around and explore the world. It's "realer" than Facebook. With any luck, Snap Map will be the next News Feed and bring the world closer together.
Follow Cody Engel on Twitter at @POTUS404.