Between Bots & Gen Z, The New Instagram and Snapchat Usage Metrics Are Meaningless

Snapstreaks

You know what a Snapstreak is, right?

Just in case you don’t, here’s an entire page of Snapchat’s Q&A section that explains what this massive part of the Gen Z/Pre-teen daily Snap use looks like.

It’s those numbers to the right of the username that lets each other know how many snaps they've sent back and forth consecutively and to the younger demographic, it means everything.

Here’s the thing about younger users that are collecting streaks like a window that yearns for a good windexing, they aren't snapping in the sense of what you think snapping would really be.

For example, maybe you’re watching stories of your friends day that are filled with pics of them mowing down a hot cheesesteak while burning their face off or videos of a Slurpee slurp-down brain freeze challenge going on in some random 7–11 parking lot.

That’s fun!

That’s what Snapchat is all about!

It’s for catching those unscripted moments in life and sharing them with your friends or using it as your main messenger app because you think all the other ones are dog shit compared to it!

But the younger generation is more concerned with keeping a streak going no matter what.

So instead of getting fun, spur of the moment images and videos or having a conversation in messaging, they’re sending blank photos that just say “streak”. Better yet, some don't even spend the time to write streak and just draw 4 lines on a picture of blurry carpet.

Ex-girlfriend?

Fuck it. Have to keep that streak going because it’s the highest one you’ve ever had so just keep on truckin until she blocks your ass. Then screenshot it.

Great Content 💯🙌🤘

Instagram has been trying to “control” the bot problem they’ve been having for the past year now.

They successfully murdered Instagress but there’s still more out there leaving the most obvious bullshit vague comments that even a Second Date Update sounds more realistic.

The other issue in regards to usage numbers are Instagram Pods.

You can find these groups all over Facebook with many different angles and content genres as well.

Here’s how they work:

You ask to join and for some of them, have to go through that new Facebook Groups questionnaire that gives mods a delusion of grandeur before being approved. Once in the group there’s a scheduled time, multiple times a day, that one of the moderators will announce that it’s go time!

Everyone in the group at that certain time drops a link to an image on Instagram as a comment and everyone goes through liking the posts. Once you’ve done it, you like the post link so whoever posted knows you’ve done your part in bending over Instagram and ramming it right up their ass.

There are separate times for each type of engagement so some may be for likes and others may be for comments.

What the fuck is considered usage now anyway?

So the question becomes, what is really considered usage? Is it when people are using the app it was designed to be used or just anytime someone makes the slightest tap on anything that logs internally?

If I walk up to a random guy on the street and whack him directly between the eyes with a gallon of 2% milk, is that considered into the dairy DAU metrics?

With Instagram jumping up 200 million daily users and on to 800 million users monthly within a year, most of the emphasis has been on how stories helped them reach that rate of growth. On the other hand, Snapchat has grown the amount of content contributed to “Our Story” by 30% since the launch of Snap Maps.

Globally Instagram has garnered 62% of new user signups in august 2017 while Snapchat has 38%. Both of these growth numbers sound good but Snapchat has continued to tank on the market while Facebook, Instagram’s winner in the custody battle, has continued to grow mainly because of ad revenue.

Another issue Snapchat is having, besides getting the younger demographic to do anything but message each other or send streaks back and forth, is the massive downward spiral brands have in advertising interest on the platform.

Most of that relies heavily on the brands themselves and their “We know the user better than they know themselves” type of attitude when approaching these campaigns that are doing less than stellar at best.

Even though Snapchat has made steps to improve their self-serve ad platform, the yearly ad revenue looks to be topping out around 774 million dollars for 2017.

Take that into comparison with Instagram, that has it’s ad service built directly into Facebook Ads Manager and access to all the affiliate sites with ads totaling upwards of 3 billion dollars this year and raising to over 6 billion by 2019.

Here’s a bunch of numbers that aren't real

Instagram: 800 million MAU & 500 million DAU

Snapchat: 300 million MAU & 173 DAU

Remember that’s apparently 7 million blurry pictures of carpet, anytime someone smashes their face into a phone, or some wind accidently blows against your screen.

It’s both platforms still fighting to prove who has the biggest dick at the party while two dudes and a 78 year old neighbor lady are the only ones actually looking.

Analytics are awesome.