It's pretty crazy that in today's society, we send boring pictures of our blank faces or dark screens back and forth just to "keep the streak alive." And, that we have people "do our streaks" when traveling internationally or have no phone service. Our parents, and honestly, a growing number of our generation, thinks all of this stuff is pretty crazy, so let's weigh the pros and cons of Snapchat, once and for all.
Pro: You are staying in touch with people
There are some people that I have streaks with and if I did not, I probably would not know a single thing about their life after high school. I'm glad that Snapchat has allowed me to stay in touch with more people throughout college
Con: It's addictive
Sure, all social media can be addictive and distracting, but Snapchat has so many features that we can get sucked into in the app for a longer time than necessary. Between adding filters to pictures, going through everyone's stories, and looking at your "memories," a quick snap could turn into something much more time-consuming
Pro: Fun filters
The filters on Snapchat have the ability to turn a simple picture into something much nicer! Sure, they'll take up some more time, but in the long run, you'll like your photos more. Plus, the fun face filters can be entertaining, not only for you, but kids love playing with them too (hint for the babysitters).
Con: People can track you
The "Snap Map" feature has only been around for about two years, and although they have a "ghost mode" option, you still have to be careful with this. If you are off of ghost mode and have your location public, you never know what people are going to do with your location, so it is the best bet to have it off.
Pro: Easy to connect
By simply scanning a snapcode, you now have enough information to network and meet with new people at the touch of a button. Snapchat makes it really easy to add new friends, which means more connections for you!
Con: Battery usage
Any app that drains our phone batteries is annoying in general, but unfortunately, Snapchat is one of the worst. You can reply to a few friends, watch stories, and scroll through the featured section and poof…*cue "low battery" notification from Apple*
Everyone can believe what they want about Snapchat, but I see both the pros and the cons as I use it every day. Streaks can be silly, filters can be fun, and this is just one of many crazy apps that have drastically impacted this generation.
