It would be superficial to say that Snapstreaks are a large part of meaningful relationships. The whole existence of a Snapstreak can be made up of only one picture sent between two people at least once a day — even if that picture is of a plain background with no caption at all. So, no, they do not have much significance in relationships. The reason I’m advocating for their importance is because they can display a pattern in relationships that might signal abnormalities in one’s life or mental state.

I am definitely the type of person to keep up with Snapchat streaks. It is almost routine for me to get ready for the day, send a picture of my morning coffee, and receive pictures of my friends’ dogs, post-morning workouts, or “I’m late to work again” Snapchats in return.

When life seemed to get in the way of things recently, my friends slowly saw a decrease in my communication with them. The emojis next to each other’s Snapchat names disappeared and was an indication to them that something unusual was going on. This, combined with the numerous texts I left unanswered, led my friends to reach out with concern. They cited my lack of communication as a sign that something was wrong.

I find that I tend to shut down when faced with problems, so ignoring my phone is the best way for me to deal with issues at hand. I’m lucky enough to have friends to vent to every day, and I’m thankful that they noticed this — even if it is just because of a Snapstreak.