After much contemplation here and there, I have decided to do something drastic. Something earth-shattering and unbelievable for most people I know. I am going to…

…kill all my Snapstreaks.

Burn Baby, Burn

For those who are blissfully unaware of the concept, a Snap-streak is a feature of the popular social media application that goes by the name of Snapchat. A streak is what you get when you and a fellow Snapchatter send each other a snapshot for three consecutive days or more.

It is indicated by the flame emoji and a number representing the amount of days you have kept your streak ‘alive’, for example 15🔥 shows just over a fortnight of selfie-exchanges. The constant communication acts as kindling to the fire.

There are a few more emojis that you are rewarded with for different ‘achievements’ on the app. The red heart ❤️ has been known to cause a breakup or two – if you catch your significant other having a “best friend” aka the-person-they-Snap-the-most-above-all-others, and it doesn’t happen to be you, it’s sure to sting a little.

This, along with the streak, is a ploy by the app-creators to get you to use their app every single day without fail. To keep your streaks alive and get all the remaining achievement emojis, you don’t have another choice. As the generation who has two lives – one being exclusively online – these tricks get us hooked. We post on Instagram for the likes and follows, Facebook for the reactions, Twitter for the retweets, and Snapchat for the streaks. We receive validation from these little icons on our devices. Who would’ve thought that these minuscule hieroglyphs could evoke such dedication in humanity?

Like Sands through the Hourglass…

Along with the dedication comes the heightened emotions. If you have done everything – and I mean everything –possible to keep a streak alive, and the other person dares to let it die… would you forgive them?

My question is, why would there even be anything to forgive? A streak that is on the verge of death is represented by an hourglass ⏳ next to it. It’s a warning that you need to send a Snap as soon as possible and it can still be saved if you act quickly. This little hourglass causes much tension in our lives and we are quick to respond for fear of the backlash.

Friendships have turned into video games and our levels are shown through streaks. Losing a 100 day streak is akin to reaching the highest level on PacMan and being eaten by the last ghost. Not having WiFi for a day is equivalent to forgetting your tamagotchi at home and returning to find your ‘pet’ didn’t make it past noon. The disappointment is tangible and as the flame requires teamwork to stay alight, the person who didn’t contribute in time is quick to apologise or be shunned for their slight.

Okay, I’m exaggerating here but I’ve felt pressured to say sorry for breaking a streak and I’ve even witnessed people email Snapchat to get their streak reinstated.

One of the last straws was when a friend of mine was going through a really hard time and accidentally let our streak die. She immediately apologised and I could tell she felt awful for letting her life get in the way of our emoji. She even said she wanted to email Snapchat to get our streak back. I assured her not to worry and to take care of herself first and foremost.

I began thinking seriously about the consequences of our technology addiction, especially the possible effects on our mental health. This has not been the first time I have witnessed or even felt the side-effects of a streak dying. When you are the one to blame it immediately gets you down. If it died as a result of your own personal struggles, seeing that little flame disintegrate is just rubbing salt in the wound.

From the Ashes, We Will Rise…

So you can see, I have probably been overthinking the whole thing but I really do need a fresh start. Some time away from social media to reevaluate my priorities. I can’t count the amount of times I have seen (and sent) a Snap of something random or even just darkness, purely to save my streaks. It even happened this morning.

You all probably know that whole analogy of a tree falling, well if there’s a party and nobody Snaps it, did the party really happen? If you’re scratching your head at this, the answer is “yes, but it probably sucked”. Kidding, kidding. But on a serious note, I think we can all do with some living in the moment. Appreciating things with our eyes directly for a change, instead of through a camera lens.

I have tried detoxing from social media before *cough* Facebook *cough* and I failed miserably. My anxiety escalated so much when I deleted apps off my phone, I didn’t even last a day. Ultimately this is quite scary and I’ve slowly stopped relying on scrolling as a coping mechanism. For a long time my iPhone became my stress-toy.

I’m a fidgeter by nature and these applications became my lifeline when I couldn’t bite my fingernails or click a pen like I used to at school. I wouldn’t even absorb any of the information on the phone, I’d just compulsively open Instagram or Facebook when I felt even remotely nervous or uncomfortable, just to give my hands something to do. Then it turned into a habit that I struggled to break. A couple of times my friend has even grabbed my hand to stop me scrolling aimlessly up and down because the action was making her dizzy.

Social Media is a tool to communicate with people and to share worthwhile parts of our lives, our thoughts, and our days. I think I have been misusing this mechanism in various ways. There is so much you can learn online, everywhere from Facebook groups to Twitter threads. Buried gems of information are hidden among all the noise. It all comes down to us and how we choose to use it.

We can share memes on FB all day, or join a group that’s learning the language we’ve always wanted to. We can laugh at funny videos on YouTube for hours on end, or follow a creative tutorial to improve a skill. I’d like to be more mindful with how I use my smartphone and all its accoutrements.

So, from today I will be deleting Snapchat and keeping it off my phone for at least a week. When the week is up, I’ll reevaluate and see where it goes from there.

Has anyone else done something similar? Would you be upset if someone ended your streaks? Let me know!

Until next time,

xoxo

Binx.