Ah Snapchat, how many of us love your ghostly little icon. The yellow just pops out and makes our egos glow. It entices us to 'snap' selfie after selfie. Your novelty filters are an addiction. We obsess over the newbies but stay true to our favourites. Who even texts anymore? Seriously?
Well guess what, this social media platform, or Ghosty as I will affectionately call him, has possessed more than just the average Joe public.
Museums and Theatres are now using Snapchat!
And why not!
It has been proven that our attention span is officially shorter than a Goldfish. No I'm not joking. In 2015 Microsoft conducted a study that proved Humans can focus for a mighty 8 seconds. One second less than those little orange fishy's. The days of 'I have a memory like a Goldfish' are over. Bring on that well known saying, 'I wish I had a memory like a Goldfish'...
This may well be THE leading factor in 'The Rise of Ghosty'. It's a new age where Snapchat has surpassed Twitter with its daily users. Those images of no more than ten seconds, sometimes decorated with a simple sentence, and always edited with a filter, please our 'ickle brains. And boy is it addictive! There are many symptoms that reveal if you are a Snapchat King or Queen and Pop Sugar have neatly listed these so you can self diagnose if needed.
But now Museums, Theatres and other organisations have jumped on this super fast social media bandwagon. But why and how are they using Ghosty?
I only have two examples for the time being but hope this will only increase as the trend catches on.
Wellcome Collection, London
Snapchat Username: explorewellcome
I think the Wellcome Collection is the perfect example of a contemporary museum that is always pushing the boundaries. They have such a curious collection of more than one million objects embodying the world of medicine. I always find their exhibitions stimulating, most probably because they are artistic and creative. Although sometimes it can come across a little high brow... Thankfully they don't seem to do the 'standard' museum display thing and try to utilise technology wherever they can.
So it made complete sense that they are the only Museum I have found using Snapchat!
They post about their collections and exhibitions. This gives you a sneaky glimpse at their objects and provides an interesting new angle. They send facts and questions to keep your brain ticking over. It's so refreshing and an accessible way to enjoy their Museum. Unfortunately they do not post stories as much as I would like. Even once a week would be enough to keep me entertained. But I understand Snapchat does need a lot of TLC and your actual job can get in the way.
But I hope they continue their great work both in the real and digital worlds.
So it made complete sense that they are the only Museum I have found using Snapchat!
They post about their collections and exhibitions. This gives you a sneaky glimpse at their objects and provides an interesting new angle. They send facts and questions to keep your brain ticking over. It's so refreshing and an accessible way to enjoy their Museum. Unfortunately they do not post stories as much as I would like. Even once a week would be enough to keep me entertained. But I understand Snapchat does need a lot of TLC and your actual job can get in the way.
But I hope they continue their great work both in the real and digital worlds.
Palace Theatre and Opera House, Manchester
Snapchat Username: PalaceandOpera
The Palace Theatre and Opera House used to be my regular haunt when I lived on the other side of the Pennines. But since moving nearly ten years ago, I have kind of neglected them. Don't worry, they are doing well without my custom and I do make it back once a year or so! The Opera House was the first ever theatre I visited as a wee Girl, so it holds a special place in my heart.
So it is great that I can now follow their stories on Snapchat!
We follow 'a day in the life of' and learn first hand about their hard working staff. You have backstage access to the Theatre tours (I will try to blog about their next one in more detail) They even bag a few actors to snap throughout a live performance. Those are always filled with energy and give non-ticket holders a unique private show.
More, more, more please Manchester Theatres.
So it is great that I can now follow their stories on Snapchat!
We follow 'a day in the life of' and learn first hand about their hard working staff. You have backstage access to the Theatre tours (I will try to blog about their next one in more detail) They even bag a few actors to snap throughout a live performance. Those are always filled with energy and give non-ticket holders a unique private show.
More, more, more please Manchester Theatres.
Ghosty has become the number one social media platform for teenagers as well as a huge proportion of 18-24 year olds (other than my 54 year old dad who bluddy loves it!) And this young group are the hardest to attract to many organisations like Theatres and Museums. But Snapchat may well be the application that breaks that rule.
- It speaks their language. So you can now communicate.
- It's not as daunting as physically entering your site. So you can digitally make them feel welcome.
- It's a fun and current way to share information. So you can breathe life and energy into your content.
Do you know any other organisations who use Snapchat?
I'd love to know what your favourite filter is?
Image Credits: Snapchat, Wellcome Collection, BBC and Forbes
