Looks like the entire tech industry is copying Snapchat. The latest addition to the already long list of Snapchat-inspired features now includes Google. The tech giant is reportedly working on a new feature that will enable publishers to publish Snapchat-style stories, built into Google's search engine.
The new feature could look a lot like Snapchat’s Discover section, which is a combination of photos, videos, and text. Google may call this new feature "Stamp" where “St” refers to stories. It is most likely that this new product would exist under the search bar, which already presents a list of recommended websites and latest news stories.
Google is reportedly building this new product around its AMP webpage technology. This will ensure that all the stories load faster and display advertisements that are controlled by Google directly. The report also states that Google is in talks with leading media outlets like CNN, The Washington Post, Time, and Vox Media, and others.
A Google spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal:
Ever since the beginning of AMP we’ve constantly collaborated with publishers, and are working on many new features.
Facebook, Snapchat, and Google
It seems like Google is primarily targeting the Snapchat demographic with the new feature, which goes to some extent as Snapchat is popular among teens who constitute a significant share of web advertising revenue. Similarly, Facebook is also posing as a major competitor to Google search with Facebook’s Instant Articles feature that directly rivals Google's AMP tech. Facebook’s app-centric strategy to control content (information, news, media, and more) on its website is already a threat to Google's ad business. Simply put, Facebook users may use Google search feature less.
The competition between Facebook and Google is based on who becomes the primary information search source for users. With its upcoming Stamp feature, Google wants to tighten its grip on news and other content. It is also unclear whether Google will allow publishers to share the same content on other platforms like Facebook. The tech giant wants to give more reasons to users for using Google search as an ultimate destination for related content.
