One hundred, one ten, and one.
That is how many days it has been since I opened an account on a social platform I remember cringing at the first time I came across it a decade or so ago.
The reason I have been on? To connect with an old acquaintance who uses Snapchat for his primary “keep-in-touch” method. When he sent me an invitation, I thought it would be a curious experiment to explore the app itself and its effects on me as a user. Besides, so much of my day is made up of words and writing that having a different communication channel – one of pictures in this instance – might be nice.
And…I have mixed thoughts. I thought I would write them down to clarify some for myself before I continue to snap and chat away. (Snaps are pictures taken within the app you then send to friends, while chats are text and/or attached images. Thus the name.)
The first thing that bothered me were the disappearing messages. You could fiddle with settings until chats disappear after seven days, but that is the longest they would exist for – and disappear they will, for that is the nature of Snapchat messages. Adding to that surprise was how it is impossible to screenshot anything within the thread, or save images/texts from the platform into your phone. You can save them within a designated folder within the app by tapping on items in the thread but not actually download and save them.
This adds to the already instant-and-spontaneous nature of communication within Snapchat – this forced acceptance of experiencing words and pictures in the present only (or for only a little longer than that) – that is weirdly attractive and addictive in its own way.
(Security and privacy is a whole other issue which I would not address here, though one does wonder where all that data ends up going.)
The different things you can add to these snaps are interesting as well – you can add filters, type text onto the picture, scribble on them with your fingers – making each moment shared unique and specific. This grants the illusion of something powerful, like an unlimited canvas for in-the-moment self-expression without the possibility of cringing over it or finding the snap awkward a day, week, or month later. What has been sent remains only within the thread, and would likely disappear within 24 hours.
And what about cozy chatting-with-a-friend vibes? I have this one person I snap with, which means he is automatically my “best friend” on Snapchat. A “best friend” within the app is defined as the person you send the most snaps and chats to; the emoji certification for this is a sweet smilely face for single-side best friend (what even is that IRL, somebody please tell me), and a cute yellow heart next to their avatar for mutual besties (both are the person the other sends the most stuff to). A sort of a false illusion of closeness and a sense of “mattering to somebody, perhaps? I find it cute in a way, but also unsettling.
There is one more thing – the fire streaks for the number of days in a row you and a buddy have sent snaps to each other. Seeing the number go up feels good, like you are making progress on something. You definitely do not want to break that streak and have to start all over again! And so you make sure to send them at least one snap every day to keep it going – something like an elusive and undefined pot of gold at the end of whatever rainbow you see the whole experience as.
…I shall end this here. It has been interesting to note what this app aims at and which aspects of our human tendencies it takes advantage of – and whether being conscious of such makes for a buffer against the pulling in of one’s attention into the platform.
Do I have regrets using this platform? Regret is too strong a word, but there are definitely mixed emotions co-existing with those mixed thoughts I mentioned at the beginning. Why else would I be writing a 800-word rant on what is usually a calm, cool, and sophisticated-sounding blog? I have learned that I am more susceptible to manipulation through smart app design than I thought I was; I have had mostly enjoyable moments of connection and sharing through this platform; I have made peace with going through with something cringy (and remains so) for the sake of experimentation.
Let me also just say that having used Snapchat makes me miss my flip-phone days more acutely than when I first re-introduced a smartphone into my life “for business reasons” some months ago. And maybe it is a little weird to analyze an app like this – but given that I have not used any social media until a bit of Instagram recently, I suppose being on this platform feels a little like a big deal. Thus the long, rant-like, and probably unhelpful thoughts.
All that aside, wanna add me on Snapchat?