Since the social media app Snapchat (originally “Picaboo”) was launched in July of 2011, it has gained over 900 million monthly users. A large percentage of these users—about 53.7%— are ages 24 or younger.
Snapchat is popular among many Liberty High School students as well.
Although Snapchat was launched with communication, sharing and making memories in mind, it has experienced a user shift in purpose. A study done in 2020 showed that 76% of people ages 16-24, used Snapchat to “organize a date or hookup.”
“Snapchat dating” has become a more popular reality for users, and is being fueled by the app’s quick-add feature.
Snapchat’s “quick add” feature allows users to easily “add” contacts from a personalized list made up of device contacts, mutual friends and even complete strangers.
Alex Sharp, 12, finds the quick-add feature helpful.
“[Quick-add is] useful because it gives you a lot of your mutual friends, and it will suggest people that are on your friends’ best friend’s lists,” Sharp said. “I feel like that’s beneficial to find people that you might know.”
Kaitlyn Wetjen, 10, believes that meeting new people on Snapchat comes with benefits and drawbacks.
“I think [Snapchat is] a pretty good place to meet people because it’s very low commitment. It’s easy to talk to people. It doesn’t allow you to be catfished, because you have to be able to see the person,” Wetjen said. “But I feel like the cons are, you might not know the people…and also a lot of issues with body image and mental health…if somebody adds you, and they say ‘what do you look like’, and you send them a picture, and they un-add you…obviously that’s not gonna go great in your head.”
Wetjen also questions Snapchat’s impact on romance as a whole.
“I think in some ways it is [ruining romance] because people are adding you, and you can talk to them…but it’s very online, and not an in-person connection,” Wetjen said.
Rachel Matiyabo, 10, agrees that Snapchat can lead to superficial connections.
“We’re having a face-card battle left and right but no real conversation,” said Matiyabo.
Jaylen McDowell, 10, thinks snapscores—a public number signifying photos sent and received—can also negatively impact “relationships” formed on Snapchat.
“I’ve seen people who check if [an interest’s] snapcore goes up, and it’s crazy,” McDowell said. “I think there’s a level to it of maturity, where you get that people are going to add you, and you’re going to snap [other] people…just be mature about it.”
