According to leaked numbers obtained by Tech Crunch, Snapchat had around 110 million users daily in December, pointing to a 30 million daily user increase in just six months time. It’s an impressive feat for the four-year-old visual messenger app, with many attributing the explosion in usage to its increasing popularity with young people — who communicate primarily through their mobile devices.
Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey acknowledged on Wednesday at Recode’s technology conference that Twitter has struggled of late with user experience issues, something that the social media firm “has been working on.” He noted that Snapchat is a “very modern” messaging experience.
Snapchat launched four years ago, gaining popularity thanks to the novelty of picture messaging that expired after a time frame determined by users. Since then, it has become a primary communication channel for anyone younger than 23 with a mobile device.
The significance of passing an industry veteran like Twitter in daily users should not be overlooked, and could point to much wider adoption among mobile users in general — not just app-crazed teens and young adults. It happened with Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter — once a network championed by young people starts to catch on with the general population, growth can come fast and seem uncontrollable.
Snapchat’s increase in daily users by more than 30 million in six months shows growth is trending up — but where the app’s ceiling is at this point is anyone’s guess.
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