4 ms·
Ask HN: Why are stories such a big trend?
From Snapchat, to Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp to LinkedIn and now Twitter (fleets).
Not to mention TikTok who took the concept of stories and put it on steroids.
Why is this format such a big trend? Any insight on this?
Edit: Sort-of related to this thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25453525
- aminozuur 6y agoStories have in common that they disappear after 24 hours. It makes people more inclined to post content that is relevant now, but might not be in a week.
- Raed667 6y agoGreat point! I'm not a big user of stories, but I noticed that usually you can't respond publicly to them, but usually just a DM. Also usually the view-count is only displayed to the author. I'm wondering if that has a role to their success?
- dairylee 6y agoAnd because they disappear people are more likely to check their feed more often so that they don't miss a story from someone they follow.
- noemit 6y agoMilitarized FOMO
- achairapart 6y ago- Usually, very short attention span is needed - Use of rich media like video makes them even more attention-grabbing - Can be highly addictive
- subpixel 6y agoI’m an old. I don’t like stories. But clearly they drive content consumption in a way that marketers and publishers can see, and that’s why they are trending. I’ve clicked around and my best guess is that it’s the speed of transitioning from one story to the next that triggers increased consumption. A cynic could suggest that the realization is that for millions of people, scrolling is too much work. But in the 5 minutes I spent clicking through Instagram “reels” and getting bummed out at what is popular, I ‘engaged’ with dozens of stories. I doubt I would have waded so deep if it wasn’t as instantaneous. Like greased rails.
- runawaybottle 6y agoPlus it’s impossible to not look at a cute cat/dog/baby videos which starts you off on the treadmill.
- randomopining 6y agoShort -> fun/interesting stuff in it condensed -> stronger and more dopamine hits in a shorter time -> low attention dopamine addicts (most of the population) love it -> use the product more -> more ad revenue -> profit
- cristyansv 6y agoI feel it has to do with a distorted concept of privacy, people want to share something right now with their friends, but they don't want to be judged in the long run by this content, they don't want people to be on your profile and see a thousand pictures of your parties, maybe you looking ridiculous. I usually feel that instagram posts are meticulously planned and reviewed and edited, while the stories are something authentic and ephemeral.
- eecks 6y agoIt's good UI for videos - that's it really.
- gitgud 6y agoYou forgot VScode stories! https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=benawad.stories https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=benawad....
- aprdm 6y agoI like it. I don't use facebook/instagram very often (open maybe once a week?), all my interactions with people have been through stories this year. I like that it is a DM when I reply and that I can easily skip, I also like that they're "now" and someone is more likely to reply back or that I do not need to scroll endlessly to see someone's life. I post stories myself probably once per quarter, it is a good way of people interacting with you without leaving too much of an online footprint. IMO is a welcome trend.