Snapchat: Is Sending Endless Snaps Back and Forth Worth It or Just a Waste of Time?

Snapchat, one of the world's most well-known social apps, has been around since the year 2011. Since the launch of the app in the early 2010s, it has grown significantly by continuing to be adopted by the younger generations. Generations, such as Millennials and Gen. Z, primarily utilize Snapchat as a simple method of communicating by sending text messages and pictures. However, instead of having a conversation of some sort, many tend to just send pictures aka snaps back and forth. Depending on the individual, the pictures could be of themselves, meaningless objects, or just entirely blank. Now, you may be wondering, what's the point of sending random photos without any real purpose? Well, I think that in many cases, people tend to do this because they are either bored and get a certain type of high or a sense of adrenaline when they are being acknowledged. For younger generations who grow up with technology, this rush is even greater due to the fact that they are more reliant on their devices. However, is it really worth it to send pictures with no real meaning just to feel a sense of temporary gratification? 

In my personal opinion, I think sending useless photos back and forth to feel a sense of validation is a huge waste of time. For one, you are becoming dependent on those notifications to elevate your mood, and second, you're throwing away valuable time out of your day to do so. However, what if you didn't receive those notifications for an extended period of time? Would you allow it to affect your mental state? Or would you go about your normal day? I, however, do believe that one of the reasons that younger generations face more mental health issues than ever before is due to the fact of how reliant they are on receiving notifications. These notifications that pop up on one's phone are an addiction for many people, and if they don't get what they need to feel satisfied, then they may be more inclined to face other mental health conditions such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. To help put an end to these issues that many face due to the existence of social media and the feeling of hopelessness that can come with it, I think that we as a society need to take a break from our devices, especially when we become consumed by them. I think the first step to do so is to stop sending snaps just because. By doing this, it deceases the chance of developing an obsession with receiving notifications and also saves time.