Have you ever been in a situation where you are opening up your Snapchat for a daily or hourly check and you see the dreaded hourglass turning and turning and you get this sense of “Ugh,” but continue to Snap your friends so the streak does not break? I definitely have and I have taken some time to think about why.

During the summer, I was always worried about Snapchat and if I would break a streak. Even if I was not having a conversation with whomever I had a streak with, I was still so stressed. When school started and I could not be on my phone as much, it made me realize the craziness people go through to keep a streak. 

The first thing I noticed is the competition. You do not need to be having constant conversations with an individual, but you can have the longest snap streak. This could lead to having relationships with people that are definitely not genuine or based on real communication. Another thing I noticed is that Snapchat uses emojis and badges to entice its users into spending more time on the app. This seems to make people feel like they will miss out on something and if they do not get a badge or have no hourglasses, they are not popular or cool enough. 

I think the only way to get out of this Snapchat funk is to just be aware. Be aware that Snapchat is just a little blip in your life and the numbers and emojis do not matter. Be aware that your true friends love you and want to have a relationship with you no matter your snap score. Ways to do this are by putting time limits on Snapchat or setting reminders on your phone about being aware. When you become aware of this, you will feel so free, believe me.