Opening Snapchat, you see that yellow box and you know someone new has added you as a friend. It’s your wannabe bae. Immediately you add them back and they send you a selfie. What next?
I think it’s safe to say many of us have been in a similar situation on Snapchat. You become friends, talk a lot, and wait to see where things go. But what happens when someone decides to step across the line of friendship via Snapchat, but cannot seem to have a real conversation with you in person?
It’s an all-to-common story and, frankly, one of the most frustrating parts of social media. One minute you are sending a casual selfie, the next you find yourself in unknown territory: Are they flirting with me? Are we talking? What does this mean? As someone who has experienced this unfortunate cycle one-too-many times, I feel compelled to offer a few tips and insights on what we should all start/stop doing on Snapchat.
- Don’t ask for someone’s number over Snapchat. I cannot tell you how awkward it is when someone asks for your number over Snapchat. At this point, screenshots are guaranteed in order to save a number. Honestly, I’d rather you creep a little bit or find a friend of mine, or you know, ask me in person. This shows your true intentions. If things are getting serious, you can’t continue to only communicate over an app with dog filters.
- Don’t mess with people’s emotions. Unfortunately, Snapchat opens the door to deception and confusion. Are you flirting because you’re too nervous to speak face-to-face? Is your relationship limited to Snapchat because you don’t want to get caught because you’re also talking to other people? While, it’s easy to have fun on Snapchat, you need to be real and respect people’s boundaries. In any sort of online communication, you cannot always understand tone or emotion. It’s hard to read people when you don’t really know what feelings they are trying to communicate. Don’t limit yourself to 10 seconds of words and pictures from behind a phone screen.
- Ask yourself, where is this going? Is the person you’re talking to being honest or are they just telling you what you want to hear? You want to be sure you’re not wasting your time if you feel like things are getting serious. Don’t limit yourself to Snapchat because while the app can be fun and a unique way to communicate, it does not tell you if you’re actually compatible.
Don’t get me wrong; I love the app and the changing daily filters. Snapchat makes me laugh. I love the different voice changers and filters as much as the next person; however, I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to building a relationship, Snapchat is just one giant mixed signal. It’s easy to play around and get caught up in the app. You can easily forget that people’s emotions are at stake when you step beyond the boundary of “just friends.” We should all learn when it’s time to take things seriously or just walk away.
By Amber Easterly, staff writer
