Snapchat has completely dictated my life for the past five years. The instant communication of photos allows the potential documentation of every new experience, making it impossible to miss out. While this privilege is often abused with mundane daily dog filter stories, it offers the opportunity for users to share their lives in a meaningful way.

Frankly, it’s also just a fun way to communicate. The old man filter becomes a way to spice up your typical Monday morning selfie to complain about the start of a new school week. As Snapchat continued to evolve, Snapchat streaks soon became a prevalent part of the app. The amount of days symbolized by the flame emoji symbolizes more than a number: a friendship.

As this change came into everyday usage, I noted that Snapchat was a two-person channel. I suddenly found myself dictated by the primal fear of losing a streak. I could not bear to see a double-digit number disappear if I forgot to reply to a snap on any given day. This gave me a newfound purpose to continue to Snapchat my friends, and honestly even acquaintances, daily, despite the absence of any notable events in my life. Snapchat provided me with a fast and “chill” way to keep updated with friends. People that I am unable to see on a regular basis talk to me constantly over Snapchat. Even if the main reason we continue our correspondence is an arbitrary flame, it still is a nice, albeit forced, way to say a part of each other’s lives. By lengthening the period of talking, it is impossible to feel removed from someone’s life when your name pops up in their notifications next to Ghostface Chilla (the name of the Snapchat Ghost) at least once everyday.  Snapchat offers the unique ability to quantify my relationships.  A look at my best friends list figuratively illustrates a beautiful portrait of the comparative depths of my friendships as a measure of time and closeness.

Besides elongating the period of a normal conversation, Snapchat streaks also offered a catalyst to constant communication. Through my research, I discovered that in a 24-hour time period, I spent an absurd 3.1 hours on Snapchat alone. While some may find this cause to see a therapist, I ask you to reserve judgment until you analyze your own app use. This led me to question: why did I spend so much time messaging through this medium? The answer probably lies in the mandatory lack of “read receipts.” In order to ensure that I receive a reply, I turn to my favorite app which gives me a timestamp of when the message was opened. This will hopefully cause the recipient to reply, out of basic human decency, thereby satisfying my craving for the instant reply.  That initial back and forth not only just started Day 1 of our streak, but also the start of a beautiful friendship.

If someone rudely neglects to respond to a snap within a 24-hour period, the streak is broken (along with my heart). All the back and forth, hours on end, of pictures of me lying down in bed with a quintuple chin ultimately prove to appear pointless. I accept the impression of triviality, but Sydney Kaehler ’18, I beg you to use the skills your English teacher taught you, and look into the symbolism.  Sure, a mass snap in the morning that says “streak” may be annoying, but what the recipient chooses to reply is where the value occurs. Inventive responses and emotional connections allow for deeper communication.

I have a final message to those leaning towards the counterparty: lighten up. Your cynical attitude towards my 200-day streak is honestly depressing. Who hurt you that you can’t allow others to enjoy the accomplishment of celebrating friendship with the flame emoji? If you’re unhappy with your streaks, than by all means break them. The streak is not a prison, but a marriage.  You just haven’t found the right person to streak with. I wish you the best of luck in finding more interesting friends!