I woke up the other morning to another notification from the App Store telling me Snapchat had a pending update. I clicked the button and opened the app, only to find that my screen was scattered with emojis.
My friend researched the issue and found what every little smirk, smiley face, flame and heart meant. To my dismay, Snapchat returned with a twisted and more confusing version of the best friends list it nixed a long time ago.
Many people were upset over Snapchat’s removal of the best friends feature from their popular app. For those unfamiliar with the old setup, users were once able to click on the username of one of their friends to reveal the top three people they snapped the most.
From the outside looking in, the overall concept seems harmless, but for a select group who felt insecure about their relationships with their significant others, these little lists pose many problems.
“I just can’t believe she’s his top Snapchat best friend, do you think he’s cheating ?on me?”
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this was a legitimate snippet of a conversation I had with a friend when she saw her username fell to the second slot of her boyfriend’s best friend list, and she’s not the only one.
I can confidently say Snapchat is making dating for the younger generations increasingly difficult, but it isn’t the only culprit. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tinder are just a few very popular, very relationship-dominating ?social networks.
Our generation has set out to believe a relationship is only official if your Facebook profile says so, that you’re only exclusive with your boyfriend or girlfriend if he or she deletes his or her Tinder profile or that if you’re not your ?significant other’s top Snapchat best friend, he or she is obviously cheating on you.
It’s almost as if no one has a personal life unless it’s broadcast across the timelines and news feeds of every person you know. And that’s not exactly personal, now is it?
Before we know it, the social networking sites of today will change the course of dating forever. There will be no more waiting until a date to talk about your day because you will have already texted that information.
There probably won’t be any long-awaited reunions after time apart, because Snapchat allows you to share wherever you are, whenever you’re away. It’s so much easier to assume the worst when it comes to cheating because things like liking an post can be seen as an advancement on another person.
The mystique and surprise of getting to know someone by having wholesome face-to-face conversation is taken away if the only conversation that’s taking place is in the confines of iMessage.
There are only a few people left that decide to stop texting and Snapchatting every minute of every day and instead ask the girl or guy of their desires out on a legitimate date.
Couples and singles alike should take a step back and appreciate the luxuries of spending time with loved ones instead of worrying if they’re Snapchatting their ex. Though technology is surely helping to advance society, it should look to leave good ?old-fashioned dating habits alone.
snvanden@indiana.edu
