Snapchat has grown immensely within the past couple of years. As of last May, there were an estimated 100 million daily active users which, within the past year, has most likely increased immensely. It seems like everywhere I go, from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, young teenagers to grown adults are using the app. For many, Snapchat is a form of communication and a large part of everyday life. Users can be caught snapping a selfie at the gym or recording a video while walking down the street. It is everywhere, and it is only there to constantly remind me that I do not have one myself. However, I stand by my decision to delete the app off my phone, and I think that maybe you should consider it too.

Snapchat reduces self-confidence while increasing the all too familiar fear of missing out. The whole point of the app is to record your day for others to see. However, the reality of it is that you record the best parts of your days for others to admire so that others get the impression that your life is a dream. Many people might disagree, saying they aren’t trying to prove anything to anyone, but the point of the matter is that if you didn’t want the moments you post to be public, you wouldn’t post them to a social media.

You have the ability to pick and choose which moments you want people to see, as do your Snapchat friends. Unfortunately, people don’t understand this. So, as they sit on the couch watching Snapchat stories, they compare their own way less exciting life to the false representation of their friend's life.

Human beings have a nasty habit of partaking in hurtful behavior - most frequently towards ourselves; so even though we sometimes feel inadequate or left out as we watch our friends be effortlessly amazing, funny or popular in their Snapchat posts, we continue to watch and post in hopes that maybe we can prove ourselves to be that way, too. This is why we all insist on taking pictures at every outing, hangout and party. I believe this has the potential to be extremely detrimental to our mental health, our self-confidence and our overall enjoyment of life.

When a Snapchat is taken, our focus is shifted from what is happening in front of us to what is on our smartphone screen. Living in the moment is an even more difficult task with an app designed to capture moments. We end up capturing a moment that we didn’t fully live. Isn’t that ironic?

I am completely aware that all social media is negatively affecting the way we interact with each other and our surroundings, but Snapchat is the worst offender within the world of social media. To be considered "good" at Snapchat requires constant attention, which takes you away from what happening around you. The moments you are supposed to be living are spent recording or communicating in one sentence captions to someone while making a funny face; instead of enjoying the presence of friends and family, your mind is constantly thinking of how to impress those miles away that you may not even care about.

Finally, Snapchat only feeds our society’s obsession with physical appearance. Other than the exception of the ugly Snapchats you might send to your best friend, the app is another medium through which people can worry and fuss about their looks. It provides space for insecurity where so many already lack confidence.

Deleting Snapchat was a choice I made in a transition period of my life. I had just graduated from high school, I had moved away from home and I was starting to form a life in a new place. I found myself feeling bad about myself as I watched videos of my friends together experiencing all these unbelievable moments while I sat alone in my bedroom. Then, when I was doing something noteworthy, I would think about how others would perceive it as I recorded the moment on my Snapchat instead of experiencing it. It made everything feel forced. I couldn’t expect myself to live my life if I was so focused on watching others live theirs.

So, in an effort to move on and free myself from the stress it was causing, I deleted it. It was a good decision, and now, I don’t feel myself comparing my life to others. I don’t feel left out when I watch my friends together, and I enjoy experiences on a deeper, more real level. Of course, I haven’t cut social media altogether. I still post on Facebook and get excited when I get likes. I have even downloaded Snapchat again at least twice since I initially deleted it. However, each time, I come to the same frustrating conclusion and delete it again.

We already spend so much time on our phones and care what other people think of us. Snapchat - though a clever and entertaining app - is maybe more of a problem than some of us choose to admit. After the two seconds it takes you to delete the app, it could be one less thing to distract you from really experiencing things fully.

I may miss out on the world of Snapchat, but I live more in the real one - and you could too.