Last night, Kylie Jenner tweeted that she no longer really uses Snapchat after its controversial new update. "Does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me... ugh this is so sad," she wrote before reaffirming "still love you tho snap ... my first love" in a second tweet.
It appears those two little messages have helped cause Snapchat to lose $1.3 billion today. TMZ reports that the social media platform's shares are down 7.2 percent hours after Jenner posted her tweets.
Jenner, as TMZ points out, has a massive following on Twitter: 24.5 million with much of her audience in Snapchat's 18-34 demographic, so her impact as an influencer is there. (At one point, Jenner was basically the teen queen of the platform, regularly updating her Snap account. Since news of her pregnancy came out, she's been using the platform—and all her social media—far less.)
Jenner gave Snapchat something of a warning shot two weeks ago when she first tweeted her mixed feelings on the update. "Mm just saw the new Snapchat.. I don't know how I feel about it! What do you guys think?" she started, before admitting in a second tweet that she "kinda agree[s]" the old Snapchat should be restored.
While Jenner is powerful, what's just as likely for Snapchat's stock fall is the fact her tweets are just echoing the complaints of many platform users. Over 1.2 million people have signed a Change.org petition asking the company to remove the new app update. Snapchat still seemed keen on the redesign last week, with co-founder and CEO Evan Speigel saying that "we are excited about what we are seeing so far" with response to the redesign, per Variety.
"Some of the complaints we are seeing are reinforcing our philosophy," he added. On the common complaint that before the redesign, celebs felt like friends instead of just another feature on the public stories section of the app, Spiegel quipped, "They're not your friends."
Snapchat responded to the Change.org petition two days ago, writing that new updates are coming. "We hear you, and appreciate that you took the time to let us know how you feel. We completely understand the new Snapchat has felt uncomfortable for many," the company started. "The new Friends page will adapt to you and get smarter over time, reflecting who you're most likely to be Snapping with at that moment. This same personalization is also true of the new Discover, which will adapt to you the more that you use it." Further customizations will be coming too to the Friends and Discover pages on the apps.
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
