The app that can make or break friendships
Snapchat streaks and their impact on teen relationships
Snapchat has become the most commonly used social media for teens. One extremely popular feature of the app is streaks which is when two people send a snap to each other for consecutive days.
“They [streaks] are very important because they represent my friendship with other people,” sophomore Sani Ali said. “I feel like it is an art. Snapchat filters are used as art, I know lots of people who spend lots of time making their streaks look really cool and I also know people who just send a black screen.”
While Snapchat is a communication tool, streaks can be sometimes become the focus of the communication.
“One day I did try to break all my streaks but then I got the hourglass and people said I would be dead to them,” senior Cydney Dumler said. “People think you are breaking up with them if you break a streak. I have one of 460 that I really want to break but it’s too high to break. It’s so stressful, but I hang out with most of the people I have streaks with outside of school.”
For many teenagers Snapchat can be a way of classifying the level of a friendship, but some students on campus question this thought process.
“Sometimes you send a streak but do you really mean it,” sophomore Fiza Bashir said. “You send a good night streak and a good morning streak but one never puts any thought into it. That’s why I wanted to break all of my streaks because what is the point in just saying goodnight and good morning.”
For most students, some friendships are more like “snapships” with a streak being the sole form of contact. But sometimes real friendships can be affected by a streak ending.
I worry about my streaks every day and every night,
— sophomore Sani Ali
“I didn’t talk to one friend for almost a month because he broke our streak on 99 three times,” senior Shae Evans said. “The first time I was really angry and I wouldn’t sit next to him. I think the second time was on accident but the third I just didn’t want anything to do with him.”
Most Snapchat users also stress out if they happen to accidentally break a streak and feel as if they have broken their friendship as well and usually blame the other person which can lead to minor arguments over not so important problems.
“Whenever I lose a streak I always feel like it is the other person’s fault,” Ali said. “I worry about my streaks every day and every night.”
Dea is a senior who has been doing journalism since her freshman year. She loves movies, reading and listening to music. Her favorite book series is...