Snapchat. It has single-handedly taken the destruction of our generation’s inability to communicate to a whole new level. 

      It’s no surprise that gen z are a bunch of tech-obsessed teens with problems ranging from trust issues to daddy issues. What is surprising is our generation’s reliance on apps such as Snapchat for our day-to-day communication. That may not seem like a problem to some, but when the term “communication” becomes equivalent to sending pictures of one’s face back and forth, that’s where the problem begins. On its own, Snapchat is responsible for the creation of toxic language amongst teens and young adults.

      Being left on “delivered” for an extended amount of time is equivalent to someone not liking you. Someone sending a picture of half their face is equivalent to them not caring for you while someone sending you a picture of their full face means they do like you.

      Not only has this type of communication prevented people from having real conversations and genuine relationships, but it has also produced a generation of lethargic cowards. That’s right. Cowards.

      Now, how does an app produce a generation of people too afraid to show that they care? It’s in the way we, as a society, have normalized this type of behavior. We normalize the downplay of emotions. We normalize Snapping as a form of productive communication. We normalize until all we have left is a generation unaware of their own emotions. 

      Snapchat has become such a prevalent form of communication that when someone doesn’t actively use it, we deem them as anti-social, weird, or unpopular. Instead, we should begin using snapchat for its intended purpose: to share moments with friends in a convenient manner, not use it as a way to try to get to know people better. That’s what face-to-face interactions are there for.