Snapchat has taken over today's adolescents and has become an integral form of communication — not only with your friends, but with your potential love interests. We rely on the comfort of hiding behind our selfie cameras and the infinite number of times we can attempt to take a picture until we find it attractive enough to send to whoever is on the receiving end of it. We hide behind the use of fun filters to make us appear more attractive than we already are. We even post flattering pics of us on our story in hopes a specific person would see it and swipe up. And then, there are Snapchat streaks.
Your streaks are the people who you send daily snaps consecutively, thus, starting a numbered streak. Some people are bad at keeping up this streak and truly don't see the point of it. Others are terrified of the hourglass that pops up next to their friend's name, meaning it's about to end if they don't snap back something quick.
Honestly, I don't see the point of streaks either. Though there are times where I'm so tempted to break them all, sometimes I realize I probably won't ever talk to the people I have streaks with ever again if I break them, which sounds weird to say. We all live different lives, go to different schools, and naturally, friendships that aren't strong enough just drift apart. I usually use Snapchat streaks as a way to keep in touch with these people and see what they're up to in their lives. That's the only reason why I'm keeping mine.
Recently, I've noticed people use streaks for a different reason. I've lost count at the number of times I've had guys ask for my snap as a way of shooting their shot, but was shook when they decided to be more direct and ask to start a streak with me. Honestly, I don't know what really is the point of this. Starting a streak with someone you like shouldn't be your go-to way of getting to know them more, because technically, we're only sending pictures back and forth so the number next to our names can increase every day.
Specifically, we send meaningless pictures of our face or the ground with no words attached to it, not expecting a conversation to ever come up out of it. And maybe we do try our hardest to find something about a streak picture to reply to and start a convo, but most of the time, it isn't ideal.
This really shows we play it safe using our technology.
It's easier to be bolder and initiate flirting via your phone rather than facing the risk of rejection face to face.
We see it as easier to be rejected or turned away when we're not in person where we can easily choose not to reply and delete the conversation. We don't like the idea of rejection, especially when we would have to deal with it right when it happens and not be able to hide behind our screen.
However, it's true that social media is like texting in a way that you can always start a conversation with a person and get to know them through there. But if you're mainly relying on the length of your Snapchat streak to prove the depth of your connection with someone, then you might want to try to set the phone down and see if that connection is still there face to face. Be bold and ask them out and try an actual conversation because that kind of relationship will probably last longer than any streak could.
