Here’s Why Snapchat And Twitter Are Barreling Toward A Social Media Collision

The enemy of Facebook’s enemy is not a friend but maybe an even bigger rival. Both Snapchat and Twitter have been defined as potential threats to Facebook, but they’re really competing against one another. Both services court media companies for content—especially video—and both see their greatest business and cultural potential in coalescing massive audiences to share a live experience, whether it’s an awards show or a weekend at Coachella. Which platform to share what’s happening now is built to last?

Snapchat

Daily Active Users: Nearly 100 million

Daily Activity: 700 million snaps

Largest Demographic: 18 to 24 (37%)

Next Big Thing: Ads that don’t get in the way of a good time

Advertisers’ Wish: Better targeting; e-commerce

Secret Weapon: Live Stories, which incorporates users’ snaps into a single sizzle reel

Disconcerting Leadership Signal: CEO Evan Spiegel’s annoyed responses to anodyne questions

Outlook: Will likely continue to struggle to discover winning ad formats until it builds more features so that ads can be unobtrusive but effective

Twitter

Daily Active Users: Approx. 150 million

Daily Activity: 500 million tweets

Largest Demographic: 25 to 35 (22%)

Next Big Thing: Project Lightning—curated channels for news and live events

Advertisers’ Wish: Better targeting; e-commerce

Secret Weapon: Mobile live-streaming service Periscope

Disconcerting Leadership Signal: Interim CEO Jack Dorsey’s Lincoln beard

Outlook: Will likely continue to struggle with user growth until it’s farther down its features to-do list and it launches its first-ever ad campaign