Despite using very little social media, I really love Snapchat. It’s a low-energy way to stay at least somewhat in touch with people, as there is no bond more sacred in today’s times than the one between two people who frequently watch each other’s stories but never talk directly. Snapchats vanishing photos and screenshot alerts give people the confidence to be goofy, without taking a thousand selfies and slapping an Instagram filter on the one that best captured their angles. Finally, its many features, like art and filters, allow users to be creative.
I love a lot of Snapchat’s features. Contact syncing and being able to scan Snapchat codes are handy. Geofilters are a great touch, and it’s always interesting to see what’s new for the day. Events that users can post to, like Campus Stories, create a great community environment (although, I am bitter that mine are never chosen), and I really appreciate the app’s coverage of events, like the 2016 election, which I think might generate interest among young people by using a method as fast-paced as our generation.
Despite my love and appreciation for this app, I constantly find myself flipping as fast as I can through stories, just to get through them. As much as I like the fact that people don’t overthink what they post, I think it too often results in Snapchat stories that you may like, but nobody else wants to see. I can admit to being guilty of this, but to help prevent it and ease the suffering of all Snapchat enthusiasts, I’ve compiled a list of some of the most annoying habits Snapchatters exhibit.
7. Selfies
Let me make one thing clear: I think there is a right way to selfie on Snapchat and a wrong way. Selfies of you or yourself with your friends in new locations, with filters or emoji’s is fine; part of having a Snapchat is definitely showing off how busy and interesting your life is (or appears to be). I would even say that the occasional nice selfie on Snapchat is fine, too. Though, ultimately, Snapchat should be a place where you post your ugly selfies.
However, some people post regular selfies of themselves quite frequently, even using color filters. I fully support the art of selfie-taking and am glad that so many of us are confident enough to take them, but Snapchat just isn’t an ideal place to share your nice selfies, especially when better venues, like Instagram, exist.
If I’m checking Instagram, chances are high that I’m looking for personal pictures and genuinely care to see aesthetic shots. However, if I’m on Snapchat, I’m probably just bored and seeking some meager form of entertainment, one that I just won’t get from your selfies, no matter how beautiful you are.
6. Partying
Admittedly, part of it is probably alcohol-induced, but something about partying makes people think that their Snapchat followers absolutely need to see a barrage of photos of their finished beer cans, vape smoke or beer pong successes.
I can understand posting a few Snapchats when you’re out and having a good time, especially if the focus is more on the scene that you’re witnessing or has some funny element, but there is a line where it becomes excessive. Nothing is shocking or groundbreaking about you partying in college, and when you post a thousand images of your drinks, drunk friends and even of yourself jumping around to music and strobe lights, it becomes clear to viewers that you’re more interested in securing an image than having fun.
5. Sending half of your friends a snap and also putting it on your story
Nothing is more frustrating in the realm of Snapchat than opening a picture from a friend, then noticing a new story has been posted. You go to check it, only to discover it’s the exact same photo they sent to you and probably everybody else they’re friends with.
I do this occasionally, if I’m afraid a specific person that would like it won’t see my story in time, but I know multiple people who feel the need to send every story to all of their friends, regardless of how often they check Snapchat. Not only is it more work on you, the sender, it’s repetitive for your friend and honestly makes them feel less special.
4. Sending vague snaps to everybody on your friend’s list
This is something that, in my experience, often happens with the type of friends who want to have a relationship where you both mutually watch and ignore each other’s stories, but for some reason are afraid to post them themselves.
These are the kind of people who send you Snapchats that you really don’t care about – you have no real connection with them and there is nothing personal or funny about the snaps. You probably never reply. And yet this person continues to send you these Snapchats, all of which are ambiguous because they’re obviously sending them to almost everyone on their friend’s list.
Please don’t do this. This is what the story function exists for. If there is someone preventing you from making stories public, the wise thing to do would be delete them, instead of harassing your acquaintances with Snapchats they couldn’t care less about.
3. Posting several minutes of… anything
With the new Snapchat update, you can’t tell anymore exactly how long a Snapchat story is, and that is all the more reason not to bombard your friends with a thousand images or videos of the same thing. I don’t care if you’re at a concert, a vacation or a car show, after a few pictures, it all looks the same to your Snapchat friends.
I think most people on Snapchat like to clear their feeds. I can’t stand to have a purple number in the corner and always feel obliged to watch them all. That becomes increasingly difficult to do when I have to click aimlessly at someone’s story, waiting for it to finally end, so I can stop looking at an endless sea of cars I don’t care about, mountains that all look the same, or musicians I haven’t heard of.
2. Videos
I’m sure a lot of the videos my friends post are interesting or funny in some way, and yet, I never bother to watch them. Most of the time I’m looking at Snapchats while waiting in line, or using the toilet, and I’m not going to pull out a pair of headphones just to watch your story.
Most of the time I skip videos on stories. If it’s a pan of where you are or of an event happening where I’m not required to listen to enjoy it, I may still watch, and if there is a caption or something clearly interesting happening, I may watch it again with headphones. Essentially, if you’re going to post a lot of videos, you’re going to need to draw a viewer in or else you’re wasting their time.
1. Excessive filters
I remember the apocalyptic Snapchat story wasteland that was the original introduction of filters. I saw so many stories in a row of people with a rainbow falling from their mouths or animated tears in their eyes and became so sick of it that I am sure if I were to go to Hell and meet Satan he would stand before me, open his mouth and reveal an animated vomit-rainbow cascading from his fiery jaws.
I get the appeal of filters; it’s fun and exciting to look through them and see what they do. However, while you enjoy it, most people do not need to see a selfie of you with dog ears and a dog tongue that looks exactly like everyone else’s story of them with dog ears and a dog tongue. That’s something they can create for themselves and it isn’t funny or unique to see a thousand stories featuring the same animation.
The features that distort your face or the face-swap have their uses – but only sometimes. It isn’t creative, for example, to face-swap your face with a friend’s. Face-swapping isn’t a new idea and unless you face-swap with the Quaker Oats guy, Ted Cruz or a mysterious face Snapchat found behind you in the dark, it’s probably not going to be entertaining to others.
You need to seek out interesting or funny things, not rely on cheesy animation. The greatest tool at your disposal on Snapchat is not the filters themselves, it’s your own creativity.
Now go take some ugly selfies!