From royal heralds to penny press newspapers, news continues to evolve as communication technology advances. Now, as social media rises in popularity among news sources, Snapchat is entering the fray with new guidelines to control the accuracy of its news.
With its news service, Discover, the app’s 150 million daily users have access to interactive news streams from sponsored outlets such as CNN, ESPN and Cosmopolitan. The service, launched in 2015, presents users with streamlined content meant to create a “informative, factual and safe environment for everyone,” said the company’s director of communications, Rachel Racusen, to The New York Times.
In turn, Discover’s offerings are not broadcast free-for-all. In order for advertisers to acquire their own channel, the content must adhere to the newly updated rules.
For example, channels are prohibited from using the platform to disseminate fake news. Snapchat mandates for all publications to be fact-checked for accuracy. According to the advertising policies, the providers must be able to present “factual substantiation” to ensure authenticity. The company’s editorial board reserves the right to remove the aforementioned false information at its own discretion.
The same strict levels of regulation persist in the new guidelines to protect minors who use the app’s services. While 13 is the minimum age to create an account, the company came under fire last July in a lawsuit over inappropriate content.
Lynette Young sued Snap Inc., Snapchat’s parent company, for “intentionally exposing minors to harmful, offensive, prurient, and sexually offensive content, without warning minors or their parents that they would be exposed to such explicit content” as stated in the public court proceedings. Young referenced the Communication Decency Act, which made it illegal to present lewd content to minors without warning. In November, the case was settled outside of court privately.
This is yet another one of Snapchat’s efforts to clean up its newsfeeds in anticipation for its initial public offering set for the spring.
“I think it’s a good thing they’re attempting to clean it up,” said Martin Nisenholtz, a professor of the practice of digital communication at Boston University.
He added that the process “involves judgments” as Snapchat’s emphasis is more on imagery.
“Every image that is troublesome isn’t necessarily troublesome,” Nisenholtz said.
Gerald Kane, an assistant professor in the Informational Systems Department at Boston College and a social media expert, said Snap Inc.’s possible motivations for the rules revamp.
“They’ve gotta do some censoring or the content that people will see will be not what they want associated with their brand,” he said.
This push for truth and quality content distinguishes Snapchat from its competitors, Kane said. In reference to Facebook’s attempts to fact-check content through algorithms, he explained how Snapchat’s narrower user base can provide the company with the chance to actively develop and implement quality checking on case-by-case bases.
While Kane mentions censorship as an avenue to regulate public image, he distinguishes the difference between curation and censorship.
“Curation is pushing content, elevating content to a higher level so more people could see it,” he said, explaining the complexity of the delineation between both terms. “Censoring would be banning it.”
While Snapchat’s editorial board presents guidelines to curate stories that best inform their audience, they do still possess the capability to not publish any rule-breaking content.
Snapchat has established political guidelines where advertisers must adhere to rules for clarity such as revealing the sponsor and their affiliation with the candidate. While the company promotes positive views, it does not quell any opposing standpoints that remain within the company rules of conduct.
Arianna LeBlanc, a freshman at North Shore Community College, also shared her opinions on the effectiveness of the Discover tab.
When asked about newsworthiness, she acknowledged that some channels fit the bill while others are filled with “nonsense just to get your attention.”
In reference to the growing number of advertisements on the platform, LeBlanc noted “if it gets to the point where there are too many ads, I wouldn’t want to use it anymore.”
As a growing company, Snapchat still faces a future of uncertainty amidst its current success. Finding the balance between advertisements and user satisfaction may take time to perfect.
“We can’t forget that these platforms are relatively new and are continuing to evolve,” Kane said. “Their role in society continues to evolve and thus the platforms need to evolve in response and the best continue to do that.”
