The Snapchat Illusion
Snapchat wants to convince you that they are not social media. Don't believe them.
As I passively observed the Superbowl ads this year, one in particular grabbed my attention: Snapchat.
There is a *lot* to unpack in that ad, which came on the heels of Snap breaking ranks with its trade group NetChoice to oppose the Kids Online Safety Act (which has its own issues as danah boyd lays out here), but suffice it to say: they really really don’t want to be considered a “social media” company.
Do not believe them.
Any time I interact with teenagers I ask about their friends, and inevitably Snapchat becomes the center of the conversation. In a recent conversation with a dear friend’s 13-year old son, he lamented the pressure to use “that stupid app.” This is where I learned about “streaks” and I — and his parents — had to collect our jaws off of the floor. (I know I’m not breaking any news here, but it’s far from common knowledge and I think it is worth highlighting here for our policy friends, and possibly some parents.)
In short: “Streaks” are a feature that essentially defines who your best friends are based on how frequently you interact on the app.
Put differently: Snapchat measures friendship by a combination of the frequency, recency, and length of photos and videos sent between two people. They then rank those friendships and attach emojis and other labels like ‘Best Friends Forever’ (BFF) and “Super BFF.” And as if that’s not enough, you can see where everyone is at all times — where they are, together, without you.
Pause for a moment and consider your own adolescence. Imagine a list of your friends, from “best” on down, and now imagine the order of that list was determined by a 3rd party with some convoluted metrics of friendship. That’s what is happening on Snapchat.
A study recently conducted in Belgium, where 91% of the youth between 12 and 18 own a Snapchat account, found that “students viewed breaking a Snapchat streak as a personal rejection. Snapchat streaks, thus, serve as a way for teenagers to evaluate the strength of their interpersonal connections.”
Studies in Austria and Belgium found that teens share their Snapchat passwords so others can maintain their streaks when they cannot.
So much of the policy conversation centers on content moderation, but what about features like this? Features not only designed to addict users, but features that arguably warp the definitions and perceptions of something as critical to young people as *friendship*?
In 2019 this feature was targeted in a bill aiming to restrict awards given to users for higher engagement. Today, Snapchat is actively working to distance itself from other BigTech companies. It’s worth noting here that perhaps instead of legislation that is about surveillance and parental approval (like KOSA), we need products that at a minimum are not potentially turning the most fundamental parts of childhood into a game.
What is a streak?
Streaks are a measure of activity with another Snapchat user. When you send or receive Snaps (photos or videos) from a person at least once for 3 consecutive days, a 'Snapstreak' begins and a fire emoji (🔥) appears next to the contact’s name, along with a number next to the fire emoji counting the number of days of an active “streak.” If you maintain your streak for 100 days, you get a 💯 emoji, which is a coveted achievement… apparently even among teenagers across borders.
To keep a streak going, users have to exchange snaps (photos or videos) every single day — it is designed to keeps users hooked.
“Snapchat Streaks is one of the crucial aspects of Snapchat, and it keeps users hooked to this ephemeral messaging and social media platform.” -Beebom.com
The number next to the fire emoji keeps increasing to denote the number of days of an active Snapstreak. To keep a streak going, the app requires users to send and receive photos and videos to friends at least once within a 24-hour window. If they don’t, the streak is lost.
Explainers coach new users on how to game the system, with advice like this:
“The easiest way to increase Snapstreak is to send photo Snaps to the other person. If you are running out of ideas to send pictures of, you could just send a blank Snap to keep the streak going. Most long-term Snapstreaks are usually blank unless both participants are socially active and outgoing.” -Beebom.com
… and videos like this that show people how to artificially inflate their “snap score.”
Parents are told the risks are in the content of the disappearing messages, sexting, connecting with unknown adults, or even the location feature that shows where you are on a map. I read countless how-to guides for both users and parents, and none of them cover the streaks feature.
What is Snapchat?
Snapchat came out in 2011 and quickly exploded in popularity, reaching over 383 million daily active users worldwide this year. It was originally about secure, person-to-person communication, touting its disappearing messages as a feature in a social media environment with a permanent fingerprint. It has morphed into an app that is marketed as a place to be goofy with your friends and includes features to live chat with friends, send text messages, create videos, or create avatars.
Get in the weeds
Check out this research out of Belgium that explores the impact that gamified interactions have on young people.
Check out this research out of Austria that explores how the gamification of social media affects interaction and relationships.
Read this piece by danah boyd, unpacking KOSA and how the legislation is not positioned (or designed) to help kids.