Snapchat and Instagram are starting to chase the same growth strategy

Core Insights - Snapchat is experiencing a shift in user behavior, leading to a strategic change in its platform focus from traditional Friend Stories to Spotlight, a TikTok-like feed of short videos [1][2][3] - The company aims to reach 1 billion users by leveraging Spotlight, which has already attracted over 550 million monthly active users and accounts for more than 40% of total content time spent [3] - Other social media platforms, such as Instagram, are also adapting to similar trends, emphasizing private sharing and messaging over public content [4][10] Group 1: Snapchat's Strategic Shift - CEO Evan Spiegel highlighted the decline in Friend Stories as a significant challenge, noting that these stories were once crucial for initiating conversations among users [1] - The transition to Spotlight is seen as essential, with plans to make sharing Spotlight content more seamless within the app [2][8] - The company is adjusting its ranking systems to prioritize sharing and conversations, alongside developing new features like status updates to enhance user engagement [8][9] Group 2: Industry Trends - Instagram is also witnessing a shift towards private content sharing, with its head, Adam Mosseri, indicating a focus on enhancing messaging features [4] - Recent updates on Instagram include a repost feature and an expanded "friends tab" to facilitate easier interaction among users [10] - Both Snapchat and Instagram are recognizing the need to adapt their products to align with changing user behaviors, focusing on shareable content and social interactions [8][10]