Snapchat users can now video chat with friends from their laptops.
The Santa Mònica social media company is still facing a tough battle to compete with video call giant Zoom, which has been easily adopted in both academic and work environments, albeit with problems. Zoom has overtaken other video calling platforms like Skype and has become synonymous with on-camera conversation, but Snapchat’s social media mojo could help it gain traction among young users.
As face-to-face events become more common, the moment of Zoom as a social media platform since the beginning of the pandemic is waning. This has not stopped the company from launching an event-specific platform.
As a social networking company, Snap can take advantage of the demographic of young users of its app, while Zoom remains primarily focused on the workplace. Users can quickly initiate calls with friends who are online with Snapchat video messaging, and eventually the company will incorporate the augmented reality lenses of the app. (Disclosure: Snap is an investor in dot.LA.)
While Snap faced a “tough” first quarter, Zoom’s first quarter turned out better than expected.
Still, the move fuels the ambitions of Snap’s overapplication. Super apps consolidate a number of services on a single platform and many social media companies are turning to the concept to get more involved with their users. Snapchat is not the first social networking platform to integrate desktop video calling: Facebook Messenger introduced the feature in 2015 and even expanded video calling to include 50 people at the start of the pandemic. Other competitors like Twitter and Instagram, however, stay on top when it comes to exploring video calls.
When it comes to desktop messaging, popular apps like WhatsApp, Slack and Discord have consolidated their place on the web. These apps also have free use options, while Snapchat desktop features are only available through Snapchat Plus.
With its young user base moving away from Facebook and perhaps linking Zoom to school, Snapchat’s new feature has the potential to thrive in a social area where Zoom struggles to grow.
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