The Problem With Snapchat

I had a Snapchat for most of high school, I then deleted it for several reasons. I went almost two whole years without snapping until I got to college where I noticed that everybody was on Snapchat on the way to class, during class, after class, and even while getting ready in the dorm bathrooms (not even kidding.) So I decided to give Snapchat another shot. This time I only lasted about two months until I kissed my Snapchat goodbye forever.

When it came to Snapchat in college I noticed several problems that lead to kissing my account goodbye. The first problem was that everybody is constantly on Snapchat. I was especially guilty of this. I constantly checked stories and snapped my friends 24/7. I was on it so much that I knew what everybody was eating, exactly how much they drank when they went out, where exactly they were, who they were with, and so much more. I knew everything about everybody because I was constantly loading and reloading my Snapchat. This was a problem for two reasons, the first being that I wasn’t enjoying the people around me as much as I should have been because my face was glued to checking in on the people who weren’t even around me.

The second problem was the fact that we all seem to Snapchat everything. When I said that I knew what everybody was eating, how much they drank, and exactly who they were with, I wasn’t kidding. For some odd reason we feel the need to share everything with everybody, especially on Snapchat. I was guilty of this and I don’t know why I found so much pleasure in sharing every little thing that I was doing because honestly, who cares? Since deleting my Snapchat I found myself having more conversations with people face to face because my face wasn’t glued to my phone trying to snap artsy pictures of my food.

And that’s another problem with Snapchat. It seems to me that now people feel that it is okay to go to dinner with friends and instead of engaging in meaningful conversation, we choose to snap pictures of our food and Snapchat the friends that aren’t even at dinner. If you don’t believe that people do this just low key watch a table of girls when they go to dinner together and I promise you will see at least one of them take a selfie that will no doubt be on their story or sent to a friend. Since deleting my Snapchat I realized just how rude it is to be snapping away while at dinner with friends, family, and classmates. I’ve also found that people feel that sending a snap with one sentence at a time counts as a form of solid communication but newsflash, Snapchat was not meant to take the place of picking up the phone and calling somebody when you want to have a deep conversation.

Don’t get me wrong, Snapchat can be a good thing at times but I personally feel that there are times when it can be a problem. Imagine what the world would be like if we put down our phones and had meaningful conversations at dinner, if we didn’t care so much about what everybody else was doing, and if we didn’t feel the need to post pictures of every little thing. Since letting go of my Snapchat I have learned that I worry more about myself than I do about others, I pay more attention in class, and I try more and more to not check my phone and enjoy the time that I have with the people that I love because that means way more to me than checking in on what everybody and their brother is doing.