Social Media Platform Filters: Snapchat, Facebook, And Instagram

Summer is around the corner and ‘tis the season for social media newsfeeds everywhere to instill FOMO in the hearts of all. Ok, that may be a bit dramatic, but everyone knows the first thing you do when you hit the beach is roll out your towel and take a picture of the blue water and glaring sun so you can show your friends just what they’re missing out on. But what platform will you share it on? Instagram? Snapchat? Facebook?

Instagram Filters

Summer is around the corner and ‘tis the season for social media newsfeeds everywhere to instill FOMO in the hearts of all. Ok, that may be a bit dramatic, but everyone knows the first thing you do when you hit the beach is roll out your towel and take a picture of the blue water and glaring sun so you can show your friends just what they’re missing out on. But what platform will you share it on? Instagram? Snapchat? Facebook?

You might find it extra hard to choose these days, since Instagram and Snapchat practically share the same features. Following the booming popularity of Snapchat, both Instagram and Facebook adopted some of the fun-loving, easy to use aspects of the platform, including social media filters (more on that later). Instagram and Facebook then released their own Stories feature. Interestingly enough, Instagram daily Stories users are at 200 million daily users, outnumbering Snapchat’s 166 million, while Facebook Stories was welcomed with a less than stellar reception. To add to the fanfare, Instagram topped it all off with direct response ads inside their Stories, making it easier for users to purchase goods or download apps from right inside the story.

Coming off of the success of their Stories, Instagram joined Facebook and Snapchat in the world of filters rolling out hashtags, an eraser tool, Rewind mode, and location stickers. This release was a clear indication that the social media platform was targeting the older millennial audience, attempting to borrow all of the fun of Snapchat with a more artful, mature and, quite frankly, easier user experience. Although there are no plans to offer sponsored Instagram face filters at this time, brands can still interact with their audiences with an organic presence.

While Facebook’s copycat Stories feature is largely still unused, Instagram is proving to be a different story (no pun intended). The social media platform has been successful with the Stories feature for a few reasons, mainly because it’s unobtrusive, and offers a clean, easy user experience. Let’s face it, Snapchat can be somewhat confusing and non-intuitive for members of the older millennial generation. With the combination of a more mature user experience and its wildly popular Stories feature, and the ability for paid promotion, all predictions point towards Instagram coming out on top when it comes to its filter experience.

Overwhelmed with which platform to choose for your own brand content, or which platform has the best social media filters? Learn more about how our media expertise can help you get in touch!