Snapchat is introducing a new feature called Topic Chats, designed to facilitate public conversations around trending topics and events. This marks a shift for the platform, which has traditionally emphasized private communication among users.
According to the company, Topic Chats will roll out in the coming weeks for Snapchatters in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The feature will be accessible through Chat shortcuts, search, the Stories page, and on Spotlight videos. Users can join a Topic Chat by tapping a yellow “Join the Chat” button that appears on relevant Stories or Spotlight content.
The new chats are intended to make it easier for users to participate in public discussions about current events and trends. “Topic chats are simple. They bring our most popular chat features to public conversations about what’s happening in the world and in your community, and they cluster Snaps about that topic to make it easy to explore what’s happening visually,” Snapchat stated.
Another aspect of Topic Chats is social discovery; users will be able to see if their friends are participating in specific chats, allowing them to connect over shared interests. Any chats a user joins will appear at the top of their Topic Chat page for quick access.
Snapchat expressed anticipation about how its community will use this new feature: “We’re really excited to see what the Snapchat community has to say about everything from F1, to Below Deck.”
