I hate Snapchat.                                         

Alright, I don’t hate Snapchat- I have one myself; most students do. But I hate the culture it has created. The obnoxious story trends, the dog filter, and worst of all, the streaks. A streak, for those who are unaware, is a little fire emoji accompanied by a number that shows the number of days in a row you and another person have snapchatted back and forth. You can have a streak with any number of people, for however long you can remember to keep it up.

This feature is the bane of my existence. I hate it. I hate it so much.

Towards the beginning of the school year I started streaks with several people and all I got from them for weeks on end were snaps that only said ‘streaks’ or ‘Goodmorning streaks!’ or ‘Goodnight streaks!’. No conversation. They only snapped me to increase the number of days they had sent me pointless snaps. The streak loses all meaning when it’s only kept up for the sake of having a pointless emoji and a number next to someone’s name. It’s not personal, it’s about having the streak, which means nothing. I’ve heard people brag about their 500 day streaks and I have to ask, how many of those days did you actually talk to them, though? I lost a streak over the weekend. Did I care? Absolutely not, but there are totally people who would get genuinely mad at their friend for breaking their streak. It’s so important to some people, that they will go so far as to give their friends their passwords just to keep up their streaks if they would be unable to. And just like they may get unnecessarily upset over losing the streak, I am getting unnecessarily upset over the culture they have created.

I remember when streaks were added to Snapchat. It was a simpler time. No one obsessed over them, at least not at first. Nowadays, these kids with their hundred-days streaks strut around like they own the place. Maybe I’m just old and bitter, but I can’t help but feel like it was a better time before streaks came around.

Streaks Are Good. 

Moving to another school or town used to be the leading cause of death to a friendship back when my parents went to school, because there was never enough time to call them up on the phone and keep up with them. Things haven’t changed. People are busier than ever and there isn’t time to call anyone anymore.There’s so much on people’s plates, it’s easy to forget to text someone or to respond consistently. Now through the power of Snapchat, keeping up with a long distance friend is easier than ever through the great and amazing power of streaks.

Streaks are a tool that motivates communication as, every day, two people send snaps to each other to increase their streaks. In a world of competition, working to get the highest streak is a perpetual game. Keeping streaks up is such a simple task. It is nothing like nailing jello onto a tree, so anyone and everybody can participate with ease. Also, having a high streak releases a feeling more rewarding than a participation award; it is the beacon of light that keeps two worlds connected and any human being would be more than proud to show off their highest achievement.

Even though streaks don’t always hold a conversation, knowing your friend is okay and alive every day is a valuable piece of information one should never take for granted. Memories are easily forgotten. The one-year mark of the streak you have with your childhood best friend might just be the last reminder of your past that you have left.

Looky here, Snapchat streaks allow you to make sure you are looking freaky fresh because you have to look at yourself after each picture taken and make sure your hair is fine and there are no boogers in your nose. They also create a sense of adventure through filters. For people who don’t want to post on their story, they still share all the places they’ve been with their loyal streaks.

Streaks are a vital and useful tool society needs today. They keep us connected and are a fascinating achievement and game to play with your pals.