Review: The Trend of Snapchat Originals

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When I first heard of Snapchat, a widely popular social media network, launching original shows that would appear under their “Discover” tab, I was instantly intrigued.

This didn’t feel completely out of the ordinary. Of course, major international social networks, such as Snapchat, would want to expand the duration of time in which its users use the app. C’mon, to Snapchat, sending a daily “streaks” picture isn’t enough to generate all the revenue they want.

The idea of having Snapchat Originals is as follows: users scroll to the “Discover” tab on Snapchat and under their “Subscriptions,” there is a grid of original shows released by Snapchat. Every episode (which doesn’t surpass two minutes) is broken up into the traditional 10-second increments. Through this, the show is made to be more interactive, where you can slide up to subscribe, or press through to skim the episode.

Because the shows are built to entertain and exemplify Snapchat features, it’s no wonder the quality of the originals is subpar. Actually, that’s not even the word. The quality is just bad.  The plots and the characters are underdeveloped, and they lack the climax that keeps a viewer intrigued.

One of the most popular shows, “Endless Summer,” is built around the life of Summer McKeen, a YouTuber whose problems could possibly pass into the realm of comedy.

It gets better. There are shows like “Bringing Up Bhabie,” which is a docuseries over the life of viral sensation Danielle Bregoli on camera and off of it.

I think you get the idea. Snapchat is attempting to form a connection with its massive teenage audience by presenting the major trends in pop culture in a way that not only intrigues them, but makes them want to come back in a couple days for the next episode. I’m not pleased with the quality of the originals, but the basic premise of trying to integrate entertainment into Snapchat is a great way to gain users.

Honestly, it’s an amazing strategy. In the past couple of months, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has said that more than 18 shows, 12 of which are original productions, have reached a monthly audience of more than 10 million unique viewers.

While I’m bashing the Snapchat Originals for their lack of well – originality, I would like to say that I keep up with the occasional few shows. I can’t help it; it’s such a convenient thing.

I’ll be eating breakfast in the morning and scrolling through Snapchat and find myself watching the next episode of “The Dead Girls Detective Agency,” an original following a dead girl trying to solve her own murder to avoid spending eternity in purgatory.

So the overall consensus is this: The trend of Snapchat Originals is working in Snapchat’s favor and it (sometimes) serves as a guilty pleasure for me.

I just have one request for Snapchat: Please invest some money into making your Originals more original and adding some form of a plot to them.

Yes, “Endless Summer,” I’m talking to you.