A new survey of young Snapchat users found that the app's messaging and story-sharing features are still the most popular u2014 and nearly a third of all respondents said the best thing about Snapchat is that their parents don't use it. Credit: Lucas Jackson/Reuters Snapchat’s most popular feature is also its oldest, according to a new survey commissioned by entertainment publication Variety and conducted by Defy Media. Snapchat expanded its various formats in recent months, including new syndicated content from entertainment brands in the app’s “Discover” section and curated media from users at live events in the “Live Stories” channel, but its core “disappearing” messaging feature is still the most widely used by young users. Defy Media surveyed 1,117 U.S.-based Snapchat users between the ages of 13 and 24 in February, and 71 percent of respondents said they “only or mostly” use the app to chat and share “Stories,” or strings of “snap” messages, with their friends. Almost one-quarter of those surveyed said they use Discover, Live Stories, chat and Stories equally, according to the research. And just 5 percent said they “only or mostly” use the app for Discover, Live Stories or to follow celebrities and brands. [Related Feature: Why Snapchat is the next big thing in digital marketing] Snapchat is also the messaging channel of choice for 63 percent of those respondents; 59 percent of them said Snapchat is their primary app for short videos; and 41 percent said Snapchat is the main way they keep tabs on celebrities. Snapchat users prefer established brands Snapchat’s Discover section has 21 different channels, and Snapchat users view many of the channels managed by older, established brands more often than their newer counterparts, according to the survey. The most popular Discover channel was BuzzFeed (54 percent of respondents), followed by Comedy Central (44 percent), iHeart Radio (32 percent), Food Network (31 percent), ESPN (27 percent) and People (25 percent). Defy Media also asked Snapchat users what they like most about the app, and 48 percent said they enjoy the story creation feature more than any other. Video chat was next (37 percent), followed by the disappearing snap feature (35 percent), drawing, filters and stickers (34 percent), and friend emojis (32 percent). Snapchat is also still very much the domain of young people, and many users want it to stay that way; 30 percent of respondents said their favorite thing about Snapchat is that their parents don’t use it. Related content BrandPost The future of trust—no more playing catch up Broadcom: 2023 Tech Trends That Transform IT By Eric Chien, Director of Security Response, Symantec Enterprise Division, Broadcom Mar 31, 2023 5 mins Security BrandPost TCS gives Blackhawk Network an edge with Microsoft Cloud In this case study, Blackhawk Network’s Cara Renfroe joins Tata Consultancy Services’ Rakesh Kumar and Microsoft’s Nilendu Pattanaik to explain how TCS transformed the gift card company’s customer engagement and global operati By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 1 min Financial Services Industry Cloud Computing IT Leadership BrandPost How TCS pioneered the ‘borderless workspace’ with Microsoft 365 Microsoft’s modern workplace solution proved a perfect fit for improving productivity and collaboration, while maintaining security of systems and data. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 1 min Financial Services Industry Microsoft Cloud Computing BrandPost Supply chain decarbonization: The missing link to net zero By improving the quality of global supply chain data, enterprises can better measure their true carbon footprint and make progress toward a net-zero business ecosystem. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 2 mins Retail Industry Supply Chain Green IT Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe