Since the early 2010s, the most basic form of communication for your average teenager has been Snapchat. With its unique feature of keeping streaks, a variety of filters, and being able to post so-called “stories” for everyone to see, it served as an innovative form of communication, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s worn down. I don’t know if it’s just me getting older or if it’s something everyone’s quietly noticing, but Snapchat lost its spark. 

I remember when streaks were the most important part of my day. People had 500-day streaks with people they barely even knew, and somehow, that meant something. It was like this unspoken popularity contest—who could keep the most streaks, who had the highest Snapchat score, and who was in your best friends list?

But now? No one cares as much. The excitement is gone. Honestly, I’m kind of relieved. It’s like the app turned into background noise, something you check when you’re bored, waiting in line, or just to text some friends, but not something you actually care about. 

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not hating on Snapchat for nothing. It was iconic in its prime. The dog filter? The flower crown? Those were a cultural moment.

The thing is, Snapchat just doesn’t feel personal anymore. Half the time, people send blank screens or a picture of their ceiling. And the conversations? They vanish unless you go out of your way to save them, and even then, people think you’re weird for doing it. It’s like people have developed a fear of being vulnerable or having real conversations. You get “wyd,” God forbid a “wyll,” or even just a picture of someone’s forehead, and that’s supposed to count as talking? Come on.

What bothers me the most is that it feels performative. Stories used to be fun—people would post what they were doing, cool places they went, and little moments from their day. Now it’s either people posting parties to show they were invited, gym selfies for attention, or trying to make someone jealous. I sound bitter, but I’m being real. And don’t get me started on private stories. I swear, everyone has like five of them now. “spam,” “priv,” “real ones only,” “close friends”—what even is the point if you’re just posting the same thing to every story? Like, are you okay? Do we need to talk? 

Honestly, I think the only reason most of us still have Snapchat is that it’s the only app some people will answer on. It’s become this weird texting substitute. You want to talk to someone but not really talk to them, so you Snap them. And if someone opens and doesn’t reply? It’s weirdly offensive. But if someone does reply too much, that’s weird too. You can’t win. It’s like Snapchat invented this middle ground where we’re all sort of half-communicating with each other and pretending it counts. 

Sometimes I miss real convos, long messages, and actually getting to know someone. When I want to have a genuine conversation with someone I care about, I’ll just message them on iMessage or FaceTime them. Snapchat isn’t the preference anymore.

I feel like the app just didn’t grow up with us. We’ve changed. We’ve gone through breakups, mental health stuff, prepping for college apps, friendships ending, finding ourselves, and Snapchat? It’s still sending disappearing messages and dog filters like it’s stuck in 2016. Cute, but not cutting it anymore.

Maybe that’s okay, though; not every app is meant to last forever. Snapchat was a phase; it was fun, it was messy, and it was the peak middle school era. But now that we’re older, we’re looking for more. More depth, more realness, more meaningful connections. But it’s not where I find real connection anymore. Maybe that’s just a sign of growing up.