A photo and video-sharing app that launched in 2011, Snapchat is defining our generation- fast paced and withdrawn. Young people are interested in the now. And Snapchat claims superiority for lacking options to comment and places for scrutiny. But, is that really true? While the snaps still disappear, Snapchat is adding features that make us hyper dependent and socially withdrawn, and therein lies the problem.
Remember when snapstories were first introduced and we were all confused because we weren’t THAT concerned with what our “friends” were doing all the time? Yes, that changed. People use snapstories to brag about all the fun that they’re having- making snapstories the original creator of FOMO. But, how much fun are they really having if they have their phone out? I miss the days that things were “funny stories” and not “funny snapstories.” We feel the need to share fun and intimate moments between friends and family with our hundreds of other “friends.”
Why is Snapchat the only acceptable means to communicate with someone you are “hooking up with?” Not quite dating and not quite text messaging. As a generation, we have shied away from intimacy. We are afraid to text first, afraid to call and afraid to respond to someone’s snap too quickly. But, we somehow view sending a picture of our face as less intimate than a simple text. Is this because the picture disappears, or that no one else will be able to see it? Snapchats have become acceptable means of flirting and it is not okay.
Snapchat has turned into a large guessing game. The panic that ensued when Snapchat removed the option to view people’s top three friend shows just that. We question whether that snap was sent to a whole contact list or just us. We are left to rely on emojis next to someone’s name to determine where we stand in their life. You can have a 30-day snap streak with someone but you don’t really know what kind of relationship you have with them. People portray the life they want to live on social media, not necessarily the life they are living. We take the rank of our seven best “snap friends” too literally. I often hear people ask “Who’s your best friend?” referring to Snapchat. And, what does this really mean? Does a snap score determine your worth?
We now attach Snacpchat to every move we make. We use geo-filters to show our friends where we are at all times. We feel like we must respond to a snap directly after opening it so the person doesn’t think we are ignoring them. And how long can this last? We feel a need to keep snap steaks alive to show the worth of our friendships. Snapchat fuels a sense of urgency. Fueling a compulsive need to always share more. Is this really how we want to define ourselves?
