You know that feeling of hearing about all of your friends having fun at a party that you weren’t invited to?
In real time, we call that feeling Snapchat.
The popular app Snapchat has become a psychological game.
We’ll post photos to our stories with the intention for a specific person to see it, then obsess over if they have. Then, we have to outdo other people’s stories.
If we’re feeling shitty about ourselves after watching our friends out partying, we try to counteract it with something great in our lives as well, whether we feel it or not.
Though this is true of every social media, it seems especially prevalent in Snapchat.
Maybe it’s the promise of reality that comes from live photos and video. Maybe it’s the time sensitivity of being able to reply.
No matter what, it seems that Snapchat is a constant game of staying on top of what everyone in your life is doing.
Consent is also a huge factor with Snapchat.
Because it only lasts up to ten seconds, it’s seen as funny to send unflattering and hurtful photos.
The rules of photo consent don’t seem to apply.
It can be funny when everyone is in on the joke, but it can get unhealthy very quickly.
Just look to Dani Mathers, the Playboy model who snapped a naked elderly woman last July.
These fleeting images can cause huge damage when used improperly — and who knows where they actually go after they “disappear.”
We all have a love-hate relationship with Snapchat, but it’s always important to use it in a safe and healthy way.
If it’s getting to you, don’t be afraid to give it the ghost
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