December 14, 2017
Social platforms have become much more than a place to share words and pictures. You can stay in touch with your Aunt, play Scrabble with her and tag her in hilarious cat videos. Social has long replaced traditional forms of communication like writing, to keep in touch. In many cases, social platforms have replaced text-messaging with their standalone apps (of which WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are at the top). Social platforms are branching further and further out into new territories, trying to integrate as many features as they can to compete with each other and be the best.
Instagram is a hit, especially with millennials. With younger generations, it’s used more than Facebook as a social network. It’s also been harnessing features from other apps – take Instagram Stories, for example. Doesn’t it rather closely resemble Snapchat Stories? So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they’re testing a standalone messaging app.
Direct, the new app, will replace the current Instagram inbox once it has been downloaded. And although it’s a messaging app, it’s still very much photo-orientated, as it opens to the camera, much like Snapchat. Swiping to the left and the right will bring up different menus, much like Snapchat. And another surprise – unique camera filters!
It’ll be interesting to see how Direct is received by users. When Facebook split their app and released Messenger, it wasn’t received all too well. Now, it’s the top messaging app. Direct will be Facebook’s third messaging app after Messenger and WhatsApp, but can it compete with Snapchat? Will it wipe Snap out once and for all? Will Direct climb the ladder of messaging success to be with its siblings? Let us know if you download and road test it.