Originally posted on Gigaom:
Snapchat is distancing itself from its core messaging feature with its new Discover feature. Instead of offering new communication tools, it's focusing on media content to hook users. It's hoping that will keep people on the app longer and get them there more frequently, the same way it did for Facebook.
The time is right. Discover's launch comes a few weeks after I reported that growth in messaging apps has plateaued, according to leaked Comscore numbers.
In the new Snapchat section you can surf bite-sized text, video and photo updates from 11 different news organizations ranging from CNN to Vice. It's slick, sophisticated and stylish. It's also a big departure from the original app. You can get the rundown on the details here or here.
Is Snapchat moving on from messaging?
Discover isn't just a new feature for the ephemeral messaging app, which has an estimate of more than 100...
