Snapchat Modifies Controversial “Solar System” Feature in Response to Teen Anxiety Concerns
Snapchat has made changes to its “solar system” feature, which ranks users’ friendships based on their level of interaction, following a report by The Wall Street Journal highlighting its potential negative impact on teenagers’ mental well-being. The company announced that the feature will now be turned off by default for paid subscribers, although they can still choose to enable it.
Understanding the Solar System Feature
The solar system feature, available to Snapchat+ subscribers, displays users’ proximity to their friends based on their level of communication. For instance, a friend in the “Mercury” position would be someone with whom the user interacts frequently, while “Uranus” would represent a less close connection. However, online communication does not always reflect real-life relationships, and this feature can lead to disappointment when users discover they are not as close to a friend as they believed.
Balancing User Feedback and Feature Availability
Snap acknowledges that while knowing one’s closeness to a friend can be gratifying, it can also be disheartening to realize that the relationship is not as strong as desired. The company stated:
“We’ve heard and understand that the Solar System can make that feeling worse, and we want to avoid that.”
Instead of completely removing the feature, as it did with the speed filter that led to lawsuits over its “negligent design,” Snap has opted to make the solar system feature optional for paid subscribers. The company hopes this decision will strike a balance between catering to those who enjoy the feature and avoiding upset for those who do not wish to use it.
Popularity and Potential Consequences
Snap claims that the solar system feature is not widely used, with less than 0.25% of the community utilizing it. However, this small percentage may be attributed to the fact that it is only available to paid subscribers. A more relevant statistic would be the number of Snapchat+ users who have accessed or viewed the feature.
The Wall Street Journal reported that discovering one is not a friend’s top priority has led to difficult conversations and even breakups. While Snap maintains that features like the solar system provide “additional awareness and context” about friendships, critics argue that it is a means to keep young people, for whom social hierarchy is crucial, addicted to the app.
Other Controversial Features and Snap’s Response
The solar system feature is not the only friend ranking system on Snapchat. The app also has a private feature called “Best Friends,” which places the people with whom a user communicates most at the top of their contact list, accompanied by a heart or smiley emoji.
Another contentious feature is “Streaks,” which encourages repeated use of the app by displaying the number of consecutive days users have communicated with each other. Following significant backlash from parents, families, lawmakers, and regulators regarding the feature’s addictive nature and psychological harm, Snap introduced a way to pause streaks and restore lost ones last year.
While Snap asserts its commitment to “mitigating the potential downsides of online communication wherever possible,” the company has faced lawsuits, Congressional inquiries, and even worse consequences due to its intentionally designed features and tools.
6 Comments
Snapchat’s ‘Solar System’ feature just got eclipsed by public opinion, huh?
Snapchat’s venture into the cosmos? A galactic flop, it seems!
Snapchat tried to orbit innovation, but crash-landed into controversy instead, huh?
Snapchat’s ‘Solar System’ got shot down faster than a falling star, didn’t it?
Guess even the stars can’t align for Snapchat this time!
Snapchat just felt the cosmic burn, didn’t they?