Snapchat users were put on the edge of their seats more than once these past few weeks – first, when it was announced that it would start posting “disappearing” ads, and second, when a good number of private photos were leaked out by unscrupulous hackers. With the furor regarding the hacked photos dying down, Snapchat now has some less than welcome news for its users – it will start posting those disappearing advertisements beginning this weekend.
This would mark the first time Snapchat would be showcasing paid advertisements, but if you’re worried about those ads ruining your experience on the service, the company assures that you’ll be given the choice of whether to view the ads or disregard them. And these ads, as mentioned, are ephemeral – they disappear the moment you’ve viewed them, and if you chose not to, they’ll be gone within 24 hours. These ads will only be limited to the “Recent Updates” section and won’t be all over the place, though Snapchat admitted in a recent blog entry that it may “feel a little weird at first.”
Yes, we know – it sounds like more spam, more unnecessary headaches, more things you can rather do without in your online life. But anyone worried about their personal information being used to make the ads targeted can rest easy. “We want to see if we can deliver an experience that’s fun and informative, the way ads used to be, before they got creepy and targeted,” said Snapchat in a statement. “It’s nice when all of the brilliant creative minds out there get our attention with terrific content.”
Despite Snapchat’s best attempts to assuage its users’ concerns, one can’t help but be disturbed at the very fact that these ads will be coming soon. The service has always been free to use, with no ads whatsoever, but now it looks like Snapchat is trying to find new ways to monetize its business, albeit at the detriment of longtime users who want things to remain ad-free at all times, or even newer ones who see advertisements as a distraction to the overall user experience.