Are we “snapchatting” our time away?

by Vaibhava Rajesh

Social networking websites all have various strategies to captivate users and keep them engaged on platforms for as long as possible. When discussing addictivity and the infamous “doom scroll,” oftentimes we think of Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. However, Snapchat utilizes different means of keeping their users, which often goes unnoticed. 

Snapchat is originally known for the various filters that are available to enhance facial features, or even just morph into a dog. Not only are such filters known to create unrealistic beauty standards, but keep individuals engaged, viewing Snapchat as a “filter app.” Prior to Instagram introducing their story feature, Snapchat was one of the only social media platform to offer posting content that expires within 24 hours. Unlike Instagram however, Snapchat maintained their expiration date set on posts, while Instagram allows for a highlight feature to keep up content posted on Instagram stories. This creates the fear of missing out, and a heightened sense of urgency to consume content, causing individuals to check stories frequently. 

Another distinction in how Snapchat engages their users is the use of snapscores and sending “streaks.” Unlike Facebook or Twitter, you cannot view the amount of followers everyone has, but rather their snap score, which is the amount of pictures that are sent through the app. Snapchat encourages users to maintain streaks (sending snaps back and forth for consecutive days), which ensures people interact with other people on a daily basis, to keep up their streaks. 

Snapchat gives users a false sense of being fully informed of how your information is being used. Whenever someone screenshots a message or a photo, users are notified. Not only are there glitches and ways to override others getting notified of this information, but this means that there are frequent notifications that encourage users to open the application repeatedly. 

In addition to the frequent notifications, users often use Snapchat as a medium to exchange explicit photos and drug deals, due to the notifications that pop up when images are screenshotted. This creates an unsafe platform for users to interact with. Due to the use of bitmojis (cartoon avatars that users create) and the lack of need to develop a specific profile, it is much easier for predators to take advantage of the little information needed to fake their identities. 

As with other social media platforms, it is crucial to be mindful of the various methods companies use to ensure that we interact. With Snapchat specifically, turning off notifications, and not falling to the pressure of maintaining “streaks” or having a high snapscore, would reduce screen time on the platform. It is even more important to ensure that those that you add on Snapchat are familiar faces.