Snapchat Disables Controversial ‘Solar System’ Function in Response to Negative Publicity

Less than a week after The Wall St. Journal reported on how a Snapchat feature dubbed “solar system” was adding to teens’ anxiety, the company has responded by adjusting how the feature works. The ranking system for paid subscribers today shows you how close you are to your Snapchat friends by displaying your position in their solar system. However, instead of removing the feature, as it did with the dangerous and controversial speed filter, which it was sued over for “negligent design,” Snap is simply turning the Solar System feature off by default. A more relevant stat would be how many Snapchat+ users have used Solar System or viewed the feature. The Solar System feature was only one of Snapchat’s friend ranking systems.

<!– Less than a week after The Wall St. Journal reported on how a Snapchat feature dubbed “solar system” was adding to teens’ anxiety, the company has responded by adjusting how the feature works. –>

Less than a week after The Wall St. Journal reported on the launch of Snapchat’s “solar system” feature and its potential negative effects on teens’ mental health, the company has announced changes to its functionality.

The “solar system” feature, available to paid subscribers, displays a user’s ranking in their friends’ “solar system,” indicating their level of closeness. For example, a friend in the “Mercury” position would be someone with whom the user communicates frequently, while “Uranus” would represent a less close connection.

However, the company acknowledges that online communication does not always reflect real-life relationships, and the “solar system” feature has the potential to cause hurt feelings when users realize they may not be as close to a friend as they thought.

Snap has received feedback from users that it can be satisfying to see oneself ranked highly in a friend’s “solar system,” but it can also be hurtful to realize one’s rank may not be as high as desired.

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“We’ve heard and understand that the Solar System can make that feeling worse, and we want to avoid that,” the company stated in a recent newsroom announcement.

Rather than removing the feature entirely, as they did with the potentially hazardous speed filter that led to legal action, Snapchat+ subscribers will now have the “solar system” feature disabled by default. However, they can choose to enable it if desired.

“We hope this strikes the right balance between providing a feature that is desired by many who use it while avoiding upsetting those who don’t want to use it,” the company explains.

This decision to disable the feature by default may cause some inconvenience, but if the feature is highly desired by teen users, they will likely search for the option to re-enable it.

Snap argues that the “solar system” feature is not widely popular, citing that less than 0.25% of the community uses it. However, this statistic is not surprising considering the feature is only accessible to paid subscribers. A more relevant statistic would be the number of Snapchat+ users who have utilized or viewed the feature.

Although the “solar system” feature does not reveal specific rankings with friends, discovering that one is not ranked at the top has resulted in difficult conversations and even breakups, according to The WSJ.

Snap has defended the “solar system” feature, stating that users have expressed a desire for further insight into their friendships, and features like this provide “additional awareness and context.” However, many argue that it is another tactic to keep young people, a demographic where social hierarchy is significant, constantly using and addicted to the app.

The “solar system” feature is just one aspect of Snapchat’s friend ranking systems. The app also offers a private feature called “Best Friends,” which displays the individuals with whom a user communicates most frequently at the top of their contact list, accompanied by a heart or smiley emoji, as noted by The WSJ.

Another heavily debated feature on Snapchat is “Streaks,” which serves as a tool to encourage users to interact with the app consistently by displaying a visual representation of the number of consecutive days they have communicated with another user. After facing criticism from concerned parents, lawmakers, and regulators regarding the addictive nature and psychological effects of this feature, Snap introduced a way to pause Streaks and allow users to restore lost ones.

Despite promising in a recent blog post to “mitigate the potential downsides of online communication wherever possible,” Snap has intentionally implemented features and tools that have led to lawsuits and Congressional inquiry, if not more serious consequences.

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Dylan Williams

Dylan Williams is a multimedia storyteller with a background in video production and graphic design. He has a knack for finding and sharing unique and visually striking stories from around the world.

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