Snapchat is arguably the most deceiving social media platform that exists, resulting in some unnecessary depression in its’ users. I know that people talk about this all the time--how social media makes everyone else's life seem superior. It is easy to beleive that everyone else is doing more exciting things and going out more often. While scrolling through snap stories and playing them over and over, one can’t help but think, everyone else is having a better time. While this may sometimes be true, most of the time it is far from the truth.

This effect can be observed in any social media platform. However, it is magnified by the way that snapchat is designed. Consider instagram, for example, users usually post single photos, with the occasional slideshow. They rarely update their profile more than once a day.

Compare this with snapchat, where users post a variety of photos and videos hourly. Followers are constantly bombarded with a minute-by-minute update of what everyone else is doing. The same event that is posted on one’s instagram is magnified 10 fold through snapchat. The issue with this comes into play when a person is following 100 people-- they receive this minute-by-minute update of everyone else’s fun 100 times. When you look at it in this way, it is easy to understand how enveloped one can become in the lives of those that they follow and how it can result in low self esteem.

After a night out, I will sometimes re-watch my own snap story. I often realize that I portrayed my night as a much more exciting time than it actually was. It looks like I had a blast when I really didn’t. This is never my intention, but it often turns out this way. Therefore, snapchat not only calls for a play-by-play update of everyone’s night out. It also makes it easy to portray a terrible time as a great one.

I think the only way to fix this snap-induced depression is by limiting our use. I rarely watch other’s stories anymore and I feel better without doing so. I no longer see the purpose in constantly watching what everyone else is up to. I think that a lot of snapchat users would benefit if they did the same. There really is no point to our obsession and I promise that you’ll feel better without it.