The couple, who reside in a Malibu cottage with their supermodel wife Miranda Kerr, exchange amusement as their two-year old son, Snapchat founder and CEO Evan Spiegel, snorts into the tablet's screen.
The screen shows the toddler's great-grandmother wrapped in flames of blue and looking down at her with blue, feline eyes. The great-grandmother is seen flinching when an animated orange cat appears on the head of her great-grandson, and continues to beg its tail in a slow, sluggish manner.
Since the COVID-19 epidemic began in the year 2000, the two families haven't been in a position to meet in person. However Snapchat's augmented reality lenses have given them plenty of opportunities to laugh at each one another.
To Spiegel the intergenerational conversation that is taking place in his living room is an illustration of the versatility of the app that he came up with while a Stanford student in 2011.
His peers mocked his idea of a photo-sharing platform that would immediately delete shared photos.
He recalls hearing that everyone said it was a terrible idea. "Not only is no one going to use it, they said, but the only people who will, will use it for sexting."
SEXTING
Miranda (@mirandakerr), February 9 2019, 2020, 9:51 am PST.
Snapchat's 229 million users send an average of four billion snaps a day, just over ten years later. The app has grown so popular among young people that gen Z has become synonymous with the "Snapchat Generation.".
However, this name is not the reality that Snapchat has created new and innovative ways of socialising that people of all ages and the spectrum of demographics can appreciate.
The first quarter of 2020 saw a double-digit increase in daily content consumption via Snapchat's Discover feature among users older than 35. What is what makes Snapchat interactions special is that the app promotes spontaneity and authenticity.
"Snapchat is for helping people stay in touch with their friends and family and that's never more crucial than now, during this time of crisis." Evan Spiegel
A snap is not an element of a carefully created online persona. It's a chance to be outrageous, silly, or vulnerable to those you love and are able to trust.
This selling point is what gives Spiegel his confidence against rivals who copy his features, such as ephemeral message and lenses that are augmented with reality.
"Snapchat is not just a set of features. Spiegel says that Snapchat has an underlying principle that is different from traditional social media.
"Since the DNA of other businesses is about having people compete against one another online for attention, I think that it will be harder to duplicate the essence of what Snapchat is."
Together emotionally
It would be difficult to replicate the recent growth of Snapchat. Snap Inc. saw a 44% rise in revenue over the prior year as businesses across the world succumb to the COVID-19 crisis.
"While the advertising budgets of many advertisers decreased due to COVID-19, we had high growth rates in revenue in the first two months of the quarter which offset the lower growth in March," Spiegel says.
While the strain of the pandemic could slow the growth of Snapchat's revenue as it drags on the social distancing policy is giving Snapchat an even bigger role in users' lives.
"Snapchat is about helping users keep in contact with their friends and families, and that's more important than ever in these challenging times. CNBC's Spiegel stated that they are seeing engagement growth through stay-at-home orders.
Snapchat is a well-known destination for brands whose goods are compatible with social distancing as well as other regulations related to pandemics because of its high engagement.
"There are many businesses who can succeed in serving their customers while at home, for instance, at-home exercise as well as beauty and gaming brands. Spiegel says that they are focusing on these down-funnel optimizations that have had an increase in the amount they spend.
Communication between Snapchat users rose more than 30% in the week ending in March, and was even more so in some areas.
"Our team is motivated and motivated in spite of the challenging circumstances , because our product has never been more important in people's lives, and especially to help close family members and friends remain emotionally close even though they are separated physically," Spiegel says.
From fun to utility
Snapchat has gone even further by working with the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US to broadcast important information that can save lives to its users.
Spiegel states, "Receiving accurate information can be the difference between life or death, therefore our publishing partner has responded to the demands."
"In the beginning we launched a number of Filters and Lenses which included safety tips and best practices. These Lenses quickly reached hundreds of million of people around the globe. Snapchatters who are experiencing mental health issues or emotional issues, or who want to learn more about how they can help their friends, can now get proactive support in the app known as Here For You.
These developments are part of Spiegel's vision of Snapchat becoming an essential service and not just an entertainment platform. This will be a key aspect of expanding the possibilities of augmented realities.
