It starts with a simple, shared recognition: the friend who is always ten minutes late, the one who sends ten separate one-word messages instead of a single paragraph, or the one who manages to find the most chaotic energy in any given room. On TikTok, the official Snapchat account recently tapped into this universal social shorthand with a brief video captioned simply, “we all have that one friend.”
While the post itself is a modest piece of micro-content, it represents a calculated shift in how legacy social platforms communicate with a generation that views traditional advertising as noise. For Snap Inc., the goal isn’t necessarily to drive a massive spike in downloads through a single meme, but to maintain a “cultural pulse.” In the current attention economy, being “relatable” is a more valuable currency than being polished.
As a former software engineer, I’ve watched the architecture of social interaction shift from the chronological feeds of the early 2010s to the algorithmic “For You” pages of today. This transition has forced brands to stop acting like corporations and start acting like users. When Snapchat posts a video about friendship tropes, it isn’t just sharing a joke. it is attempting to embed itself into the organic social fabric of TikTok, the remarkably platform that has spent years eating into its market share.
The Psychology of the Relatable Trope
The “that one friend” narrative is a cornerstone of modern internet humor because it leverages a psychological phenomenon known as social validation. By identifying a specific archetype, the content invites the viewer to mentally tag a real-life counterpart, transforming a passive viewing experience into an active social interaction.
This strategy serves several purposes for a brand like Snapchat:
- Lowering Defensive Barriers: Users are conditioned to swipe past ads. However, a “relatable” sketch feels like peer-to-peer content, reducing the immediate instinct to ignore the post.
- Encouraging User-Generated Content (UGC): These videos often prompt users to tag their friends in the comments, effectively turning the audience into a free distribution network for the brand.
- Brand Humanization: By leaning into a shared human experience—the quirks of friendship—Snapchat distances itself from the image of a sterile tech giant and positions itself as a companion to the user’s social life.
Cross-Platform Synergy and the Fight for Gen Z
There is a certain irony in Snapchat using TikTok to reach its audience. For years, the two platforms have competed for the same demographic: Gen Z and Gen Alpha. While Snapchat remains a powerhouse for direct, intimate communication (the “digital living room”), TikTok has mastered the art of discovery and entertainment (the “digital stage”).
By posting on TikTok, Snapchat is acknowledging that the discovery phase of the user journey now happens outside its own app. The strategy is a “bridge” approach: use the viral reach of TikTok to remind users of the emotional utility of Snapchat. It is an admission that to stay relevant in a user’s pocket, a platform must be visible across the entire ecosystem of their digital habits.
The technical challenge for Snap Inc. Has always been maintaining the “ephemeral” nature of its core product while competing with the “permanent” and highly searchable nature of TikTok’s library. This TikTok presence allows Snapchat to experiment with permanent, public-facing personas that would feel out of place within the private, disappearing-message environment of the Snap app itself.
Comparing the Social Utility of Modern Platforms
To understand why Snapchat utilizes these specific tropes on TikTok, it helps to look at the differing roles these apps play in a user’s daily routine.
| Platform | Primary Social Role | Content Driver | Brand Voice Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snapchat | Intimate Communication | Real-time/Ephemeral | Personal & Private |
| TikTok | Discovery & Entertainment | Algorithmic/Viral | Relatable & Bold |
| Curated Identity | Aesthetic/Visual | Aspirational & Polished |
The Engineering of Engagement
From a backend perspective, the success of “relatable” content is driven by engagement signals. When a user tags a friend in a “we all have that one friend” video, the algorithm registers a high-intensity interaction. This tells the system that the content is not only being watched but is sparking a conversation.
For Snapchat, this creates a feedback loop. The more their “relatable” content is shared, the more the TikTok algorithm pushes it to similar cohorts of users. This is a low-cost, high-reward method of brand awareness. Unlike a paid ad campaign with a fixed budget, a well-timed meme can achieve organic reach that exceeds the impact of a million-dollar spend, provided it hits the right cultural chord.
However, there is a ceiling to this strategy. The “relatable” trope is ubiquitous; almost every major brand, from Duolingo to Ryanair, uses this voice. The risk for Snapchat is becoming “white noise”—another corporate account trying too hard to speak “Gen Z.” To avoid this, the brand must balance these broad memes with actual product innovation, such as their continued integration of Augmented Reality (AR) and AI-driven features.
As Snap Inc. Continues to navigate its position in a crowded market, the focus will likely shift toward deeper integration between their hardware (Spectacles) and their software. The next major milestone for the company will be the upcoming quarterly earnings report and the accompanying product roadmap, which is expected to detail further AI implementations within the app’s messaging interface.
Do you have “that one friend” who always ends up in your Snapchat memories? Share this article with them and let us know in the comments which social trope describes your group best.
