Since the rise of the internet, social media has become increasingly prevalent. Two of the biggest social media giants are Instagram and Snapchat. Both are widely used for their “story” function, but there’s the question,“Which is truly better?” Instagram Stories have to take first prize in this one because of their numerous features, the incredible user base, and a steep user growth rate.

The debate is very divided, but Instagram has the facts to support itself. Although Instagram stories may not be preferred on the small scale, they are more popular in the big picture. A short survey sent to current SHC students found that approximately 31% prefer Instagram Stories, while roughly 69% prefer Snapchat. One person stated, “I like Instagram stories since they are more interactive than Snapchat.” People in favor of Instagram stated, “It’s easier to navigate and there’s more stickers and things like polls to use,” and also that “You can do more with Instagram [as opposed to its counterpart: Snapchat]”. On the other hand, some students said “Instagram stole the story from Snapchat” and “Instagram copied… Snapchat is the OG [which means original]”. Snapchat’s original release was in September 2011, whereas Instagram released the story feature in August 2016.

What happens when this local, school data is compared with worldwide statistics? In 2017, the website Recode found that Instagram had around 250 million daily active users, while Snapchat had around 166 million. That makes a difference of around 84 million active users! These statistics suggest that Instagram Stories are far more used than Snapchat. Not only did Instagram have more users in total, but grew its usage in an incredibly short amount of time. While Snapchat had a gradual increase in users, Instagram shot up to hundreds of millions of users in less than a year.

Does any of this data discern a better between the two? Although Instagram’s story feature possibly originated from the ideas of Snapchat, Instagram adapted and evolved it into something better. This platform then was able to grow an immense user base, thus quickly surpassing Snapchat by millions. A large part of the attraction to Instagram Stories is the versatility consumers have with their stories. From drawing capability to polls and questions, Instagram offers more options to their users than Snapchat does. It is due to this that Instagram is the superior story platform.

Works Cited

Constine, Josh. “Instagram Stories Turns 1 as Daily Use Surpasses Snapchat.” TechCrunch, TechCrunch, 2 Aug. 2017, techcrunch.com/2017/08/02/instagram-stories-anniversary/.

“Instagram Stories Vs. Snapchat Stories – 2017 Statistics.” Social Report, 1 May 2018, www.socialreport.com/insights/article/115005343286-Instagram-Stories-Vs-Snapchat-Stories-2017-Statistics.