Sometimes, simple is better. Stable could fit into that sentence, too. But Snapchat has been neither of those things.

With the addition of two new features, “Story Explorer,” which is described by Snapchat as a way “to provide more depth to every Snap in a Story” with the option to swipe up to see more Snaps of the same moment from other perspectives, and the ability to personally reply to snap stories, the application once again morphs from what it was just a few days ago.

At this point, it’s a legitimate question as to what the final product of Snapchat will look like. The application has seen so much change that it may soon find that what people want more than the ability to capture a video in slow motion or add a geofilter is a consistent user experience.

The dilemma for the company has multiple parts to it.

First of all, it’s still kind of a startup. Actually, Snapchat been around since September of 2011, so maybe a better description is that it still feels and acts like a startup. This is partly due to the fact that the company is still learning how to maximize its marketability to advertisers and content creators, which has led to the massive transformation right before our eyes.

The original idea of Snapchat was an application in which you send pictures that disappear after a short amount of time.

Currently, the description of Snapchat falls more along the lines of an application in which you send pictures that disappear after a short amount of time and you can post it so every one of your friends can see it for 24 hours and you can view live events from around the world and you can watch daily content from companies like ESPN and you can make videos in slow motion and add other cool effects.

There’s more to the current description, but you get the point. This is an app has come a long way in four years.

While its ability to expand and change has enabled the company to grow from a simple idea to one that is worth $16 billion, according to Business Insider, at some point Snapchat needs to consider the best interests of its users.

I like the new changes as much as the next person. Having the ability to shoot slow-motion video and see Snapchats from live events is great. But I also don’t want to have to look up a tutorial on YouTube just to figure out how to use all the resources I have at my disposal. That’s fine for software like Adobe Illustrator; it’s not for a messaging app.

The pursuit of innovation is another aspect to consider. Every great innovator has one question in the back of their minds at all times: What could make this product better?

It seems like Snapchat has been trying to answer that question with a new update every day. At some point, though, it has got to stop. There is only so much this application can have while maintaining a quality user experience and developing customer loyalty. It’s a truth that every sustainably successful company comes to realize.

So, to draw a parallel to the human experience, it’s time for Snapchat to grow up. The company has been going through puberty for quite some time, and now it’s about time for it to grow into its adult body by embracing stability.

Users like me are starting to get the point where we don’t even know the fullest extent of what the application can do. Stop now, Snapchat, before you begin to confuse even the people who currently know your product inside and out.

Paul Sarconi is a junior broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at pjsarcon@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @paulsarconi.

Published on November 28, 2015 at 4:25 pm