Snapchat Launches "Topic Chats" Feature to Encourage Public Discussions

Snapchat is expanding beyond private messaging with the introduction of "Topic Chats," a new feature that allows users to join public discussions about trending topics and events. Rolling out over the coming weeks to users in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, this development marks a significant shift in Snapchat's approach to social interaction.

The move comes as Snapchat seeks to reinvigorate engagement in key markets where user growth has stalled. By facilitating topic-based public conversations, the platform aims to broaden its appeal while creating new opportunities for community building and potentially opening additional avenues for advertisers.

How Topic Chats Work

Topic Chats will be prominently displayed throughout the Snapchat app, appearing in multiple locations to maximize visibility and encourage participation:

"[Users] will begin to see Topic Chats appear across Snapchat – in Chat shortcuts, in search, in the Stories page, and on Spotlight videos," Snapchat explained in its announcement. "If you see a big yellow button on a Story or Spotlight that says 'Join the Chat' just tap to jump into the conversation and explore related Spotlight videos."

The feature combines text-based conversations with relevant Snaps embedded directly into the discussion, providing visual context to the topics being discussed. This multimedia approach leverages Snapchat's visual communication strength while introducing a more traditional social media discussion format.

Users will also be able to see if their friends are participating in specific Topic Chats, potentially discovering shared interests they weren't previously aware of. The platform will prioritize chats that users join, placing them at the top of their Topic Chat page for easy access.

For businesses already implementing comprehensive Snapchat marketing strategies, Topic Chats offer an exciting new channel to engage with audiences around relevant industry discussions.

Strategic Shift for Snapchat

The introduction of Topic Chats represents a significant evolution in Snapchat's product strategy. Historically, the platform has focused primarily on private, ephemeral communications between friends rather than public discourse.

As Snapchat explained: "Snapchatters create billions of Snaps every day, sharing moments with friends and family, and as we've expanded services like Spotlight, we've also found that the Snapchat community loves commenting publicly about trending topics and events. This is new for Snapchat, because we've primarily focused on supporting private conversations rather than public ones."

The company noted that this development was directly inspired by observing how its community was already engaging with each other in public comment sections: "Watching our community engage with one another in public comments inspired us to invent a new way to have these conversations."

This shift toward more public engagement aligns Snapchat more closely with traditional social media platforms, potentially positioning it to compete more directly with services like Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok, which all offer various forms of public discussion.

Businesses exploring innovative social media marketing ideas should consider how Topic Chats might be leveraged to build community around their brands and products.

Potential Benefits and Challenges

The Topic Chats feature could provide several benefits for both users and the platform:

• Creates new ways for users to discover content and connect with others who share similar interests
• Expands Snapchat's utility beyond messaging friends to broader social networking
• Offers new advertising opportunities targeted to specific interest groups
• Provides additional data on user preferences and interests

However, the move into public discussions also brings challenges that Snapchat has largely avoided by focusing on private messaging:

• Content moderation challenges: Public discussions require more robust moderation systems to prevent harassment, misinformation, and inappropriate content.
• Balancing privacy expectations: Long-time Snapchat users accustomed to the platform's privacy focus may resist more public-facing features.
• Competition with established platforms: Users already have multiple options for public discussions, making differentiation crucial for Snapchat's success.

Snapchat has acknowledged these risks and stated that it will be moderating Topic Chats to ensure they remain "safe and appropriate." However, depending on the scale of adoption, effective moderation could prove challenging without automated systems, potentially limiting how widely the feature can be implemented.

Comparison with Competitor Platforms

When examining how Topic Chats position Snapchat against competitors, it's worth noting the distinctions from Instagram's approach to community engagement. While both platforms now offer public discussion features, they maintain different core strengths as outlined in a detailed analysis of Instagram's advantages and limitations for brands and individual users.

Implications for Users and Advertisers

For Snapchat users, Topic Chats offer a new way to engage with the platform beyond their existing friend networks. This could be particularly appealing to younger users looking to connect with others who share niche interests or want to participate in conversations about trending topics or events.

For advertisers and marketers, Topic Chats represent a potentially valuable opportunity to reach engaged audiences discussing specific subjects. The contextual nature of these discussions could enable more precise ad targeting based on demonstrated interests rather than inferred ones.

Practical Applications for Users

1. Stay informed about breaking news and trending topics through community discussions
2. Discover other users with shared interests beyond your current friend group
3. Participate in conversations about live events, entertainment releases, or cultural moments in real-time

Looking Ahead

As Snapchat rolls out Topic Chats over the coming weeks, the feature's reception and usage patterns will likely determine whether this represents a minor addition or a significant evolution in how people use the platform. The success of Topic Chats could influence Snapchat's future direction, potentially leading to more public-facing features if it resonates with users.

The introduction of Topic Chats comes at a critical time for Snapchat as it seeks new ways to drive engagement and differentiate itself in an increasingly crowded social media landscape. In what some might call a "TikTok-ification" of social platforms, Snapchat's move demonstrates how even well-established apps are borrowing successful elements from competitors while trying to maintain their unique identity.

Whether Topic Chats will help Snapchat overcome its growth challenges in key markets remains to be seen, but it represents a bold step toward expanding the platform's use case beyond its traditional strengths.

According to Social Media Today, the feature appears to be part of a broader strategy to increase user engagement time and provide more opportunities for advertisers to reach targeted audiences within the platform.