Snapchat promotes jealousy and paranoia among partners

How Snapchat shapes modern romance

Image by: Ali Safadi
From disappearing messages to beauty filters, Snapchat is messing with our relationships.

In our fast-paced digital age, where a simple “hi” can send us into a spiral of over-analysis, it’s time to consider Snapchat’s impact on our relationships.

We’ve all spent hours staring at our screens and deciphering the intent behind two tiny letters over a photo of a generic bedroom. The constant back-and-forth selfies—often devoid of meaningful words—leaves us wondering whether the connections we’re making are authentic, rather than a convenient click.

The short-lived nature of superficial selfies and brief sentences leads to shallow relationships, halting our ability to foster genuine connections. While it’s not difficult to recognize Snapchat isn’t the place to express the emotional depth needed to build a connection with a potential partner, the app nonetheless can cause problems once you’re already in an established relationship.

The allure of Snapchat lies in its ephemeral and interactive nature, offering users a platform to communicate without the pressures associated with standing face-to-face with someone else.

The premise of disappearing photos and conversations makes the platform’s private and ephemeral nature the ideal breeding ground for jealousy, insecurity, and paranoia among partners, given the ease with which users can engage in secretive behaviour, like infidelity.

Fleeting photos and conversations often makes them seem less serious, but the privacy of the vanishing content magnifies jealousy. When we see our partners contact or post a story with someone else on Snapchat, the temporary nature of the image makes it feel like a clandestine act being hidden from public scrutiny.

Restricting posts to this app can make the content feel like a high-stakes, intimate communication that isn’t meant for anyone else’s eyes.

On public platforms where user activity is visible to a wider audience there’s a perceived accountability, which can deter individuals from engaging in such private interactions. The fact a photo is shared publicly on Instagram may render it less intimate, reducing the potential for jealousy.

Defining infidelity becomes an intricate puzzle in the digital age, where the traditional boundaries of cheating struggle to keep pace with the blurred lines of connecting online. The variability in what constitutes infidelity is endless, with everything from sending nude images to liking another person’s photo falling under this category.

The ability to share locations on Snapchat further contributes to this uncertainty. Though we aren’t meant to know the constant whereabouts of everyone, partners have gotten so accustomed to this never-ending surveillance its absence induces panic and jealousy.

The platform encourages users to dissect the most mundane aspects of online communication, from the content of conversations to one’s choice of filters. The absence of tone and body language can promote misunderstandings and overthinking in our relationships. Relying on calculated, text-based communication and distorting lenses often obscures genuine emotional cues and creates a barrier to authentic, face-to-face connection.

Healthy romantic relationships are built on trust and genuine communication. When your partner is having secret conversations or constantly embellishing their online selves, it’s no wonder meticulous curation acts as a breeding ground for insecurities.

If you find yourself wondering what to do when your partner is constantly using Snapchat, the answer lies in trusting your instincts and your unique relationship. It’s important to remember raising these concerns isn’t necessarily a call for a breakup, but instead can be an opportunity for open and honest communication about your boundaries and concerns.

Tags

Relationships, romance, Snapchat, Social media

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content