Unlike our older cousins, brothers, and sisters, our generation seems to struggle in maintaining long-term relationships. What is lacking with GenZ’s communication and openness? Throughout the past twenty years, the change in technology and social media has played a huge role in our inability to communicate.
Our generation (primarily ages 15 to 25) has lost the ability to trust. Relationships are not lasting, but why? For GenZ, communication and value are hard to grasp. We struggle to share and comprehend our feelings. New apps have caused issues in relationships that otherwise did not occur in the past. For example, Tinder – it ruins relationships. To generalize, most college boys won’t delete the app until they are exclusive; some don’t even delete it at all. When things get challenging, they remake their profile and swipe away. Apps like Snapchat have left us playing games, being paranoid, and anxious. We constantly track snap scores and wonder why he hasn’t responded to my text even though he is posting on his Snapchat story. Should I open his Snapchat yet? Why do we care so much about losing them as our number one Snapchat Besties?
To boil it down, a Snapchat streak is not a relationship. So why is it that we are checking it every few minutes to see if they snapped back or if we were left on open? It only leaves us anxious and upset. While there are positives to the app, when it comes to relationships, it has many more downfalls. With that in mind, here’s some advice: it might be best to start a relationship without a streak. That way, it helps the strength and connection of communication. When you cannot spend time together, texting or shooting them a call builds communication. Plus, it’s a better way for college students to communicate instead of sending pictures of your foreheads back and forth. A way to avoid anxious feelings of being ignored and hurt is to text and not check their activity on social media – which I get is easier said than done. When you are sending quick snaps to each other, don’t take the time to think about what you’re going to say – after all, you wouldn’t in person. This way, there’s also less room for miscommunication and error, and it will leave you more satisfied in conversation. Talking to someone over the phone helps with tone. Hearing or seeing someone’s body language is better than receiving or sending a “wyd” Snapchat late on a Saturday night.