As if smartphones weren’t addicting enough already, Snapchat has created one more reason to use them. The magnetism between students and their phones has grown stronger as the fad of snapchat streaks has taken over.
This bizarre fad of “keeping the streak” began after Snapchat released its “Best Friend Update” on April 6, 2015. Users receive a fire emoji and a number next to a friend’s name based on the number of consecutive days that they’ve been snapchatting.
Users everywhere are obsessed with increasing their streak, even if it means taking time to snapchat someone they’re fighting with or to procrastinate homework a little longer.
Some users will create streaks with anyone, even people they barely speak to in person, just for the satisfaction of having a number next to a fire emoji.
“I would snapchat an ex to keep my streak going after we broke up,” a junior girl said.
The streak can easily outlast the standard high school relationship and sometimes even a friendship.
Freshman Cami Corcoran admitted to snapchatting someone she was fighting with.
“I have sent a blank photograph to somebody just to continue the streak in case we make up,” Corcoran said
To preserve the flame, many Snapchat users like Corcoran just send blank photographs or ones of random things. The conversations contain no substance and in fact are not conversations at all, merely the exchange of nonsensical photos for the shared goal of keeping the streak. So what message are they trying to send? What’s the point?
The app itself gives no incentives to gain a higher streak except a “100” emoji after 100 days—but even after the 100 days, for many, the obsession doesn’t cease.
“I wanted to get to 100 to get the emoji and now we got that so why stop,” junior Jack Bickford said.
Some say that because the only incentive is the “100” emoji, keeping the streak is completely self-motivated. So essentially this phenomenon consists of people communicating with mostly acquaintances through pictures of meaningless objects with no text for no tangible reason.
If you’re going to be communicating with these people for an infinite number of days, why not have a conversation and at least get to know the people that Snapchat deems your “Best Friends”.
Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration • Mar 21, 2016 at 10:53 am
This is an A1 Geek.
A loi and 2/3
Emily Xu • Feb 29, 2016 at 1:57 pm
I think that the streak option on snapchat is terrible!