I had the candid experience that most teenage girls have through first relationships, ones where Snapchat plays a major role. I was 16 when I got my first boyfriend, we had met through Snapchat and found out that we lived in a town apart from each other. Naturally, we ended up continuing talking, hanging out, and started dating, but ended up breaking up. The main factor behind our relationship was Snapchat. It was the way we communicated on a daily basis during our relationship. As well, it became a part of our breakup through leaving each other on “opened” or “ghosting” each other.
Due to this, I had a terrible interpretation of Snapchat from a young age. In my mind, if a guy was not snapping me constantly, it meant that he did not like me. Which I know sounds stupid, but in reality, this was due to what I went through in my past relationships. I thought that just because my ex stopped “snapping” me as much when he wanted to end things with me, that’s how it was for all cases. And that is so far from the truth of it.
In reality, this was a very difficult conclusion for me to come to. It was something that took a rewiring of my brain to understand. When I came to college, I ended up with a large group of friends. Some of them were guys who changed my thinking on this. Having them explain to me how they act towards girls if they like them. Or explaining how sometimes they just do not snap people back consistently. It helped a part of me that had been damaged from my past with this app. They explained to me and our girl friends that how much you snap someone does not equal how much they like that person.
This might sound crazy, but it took this confirmation for me to understand this. But it genuinely did. And since this moment, I have thought completely differently. I try not to base my relationships with people on how much they snap me. Or if they leave me on opened. Because the virtual reality of Snapchat is not the true connection behind a relationship. This has given me peace of mind that I hold with me when it comes to talking or meeting new people. You cannot base everything on social media like Snapchat. In reality, a relationship is built of genuine conversations, not how often you send pictures back and forth.