Instagram wages war on Snapchat, again

May 20, 2017 at 5:43AM

A funeral was held last week for Snapchat, the photo/video sharing network that keeps getting its crap stolen. OK, Snapchat didn't actually die, per se. The app still has more than 160 million daily users. But its arch­rival, Instagram, might have hammered the last nail in the coffin.

On Tuesday, Instagram added "face filters" to its popular Stories format, allowing users to attach animated bunny ears and crowns and whatnot to their selfies. You know, the exact same feature that Snapchat has been offering since 2015.

Of course, Instagram's thievery is nothing new. Instagram introduced its version of Snapchat Stories last year, and even lazily called it the exact same thing (Stories, ugh!). But the gamesmanship is paying off: Instagram Stories has surpassed Snapchat to the tune of 200 million daily users, according to TechCrunch.

I guess that's life on social media — even when the game is bunny ears, it's ruthless out there.

Tom Horgen

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