Just because young people like it, doesn't mean Snapchat's here to stay

In the wake of Snapchat’s rejection of $3bn buyout offer from Facebook, tech journo Farhad Manjoo asked Wall Street Journal readers why companies and brands still continue to ‘fall victim to the ridiculous idea’ that young people are revolutionary tech insiders and predictors.

Though many brands specifically look to target young audiences, with events such as the Youth 100 and Youth Marketing Strategy celebrating all things great about the brand-young consumer relationship, Manjoo suggests that the increased interest in  Snapchat by companies and brands is based on an out dated idea that just because young people created it and like it, it’s the future.

Painting a picture of those who jump on the ‘youth’ app bandwagon as a sort of slightly older, awkward group of uncles desperately trying to stay ‘down’ with the kids, Manjoo suggests that this latest obsession with Snapchat, which reportedly processes 400 million photo and video uploads daily, may not be around to stay as long as we think. One of the main reasons for this according to the tech insider is simply because the snap-happy app isn’t as flexible in its appeal to greater age groups.

http://youtu.be/9LAnB2rRbD8

Think of it like this; staying in touch with friends from other countries makes sense in a globalised world, hence the enormous popularity of Facebook, initially aimed at young Harvard University students. Similarly, keeping up to date with real-time news also makes sense, which is why Twitter use has grown among most age ranges, and developing an online CV via LinkedIn that can be read by countless potential employers? Well heck, that works for everyone. But do people in their 30s and above really care about sending quick pictures and videos to each-other that will be immediately deleted? Manjoo isn’t so sure.

As well as this, Manjoo highlights that the relative lack of experience in creating an app with serious longevity may also count against the future success of Snapchat, its founder, Evan Spiegal, being just 23. He argues that young successful tech dons such as Zuckerberg, Jobs and Gates aren’t the norm, citing a recent study by VC firm Cowboy Ventures which found that tech startups with a valuation of at least $1 billion formed from 2003 onwards had a founder with an average age of 34.

Economic concerns similarly shine doubt on the continued domination of Snapchat. Despite suggestions they are in the midst of developing one, the team behind the app reportedly still have no defiant revenue-making business plan yet in place.

Manjoo suggests that much more research needs to be carried out in order to determine why young people are using the apps, concluding: “Is it because they’ve grown wary of the public-sharing culture promoted by Facebook and Twitter? Or are they using it for less universal reasons, because they want to evade parental snooping, send risqué photos, or avoid feeling left out of a fad everyone else has adopted?”

At this point no one knows, probably not even the people who make Snapchat. For now, that’s reason enough to be wary of Snapchat’s youthful vigor.”

Where do you think Snapchat’s future lies? Even if Spiegal comes up with a semi-decent way of making his users pay for aspects of the app and coaxes brands into providing advertising, we’re not so sure young people might just move onto the next free app that stumbles luckily into their path.

Is Snapchat’s future henceforth damned to follow the fate of other ‘cool’, entirely youth-focused sites like Myspace? It’s very possible. But hey, Facebook did offer it $3bn, so what do we know…?