I have always viewed social media negatively and have been aware of its effects on the

people around me. Personally, I have recently chosen to step away from apps such as

Snapchat and Instagram at this stage in my life due to their negative effects on my

mental health and productivity. However, I still understand the possible benefits of social

media and the positive things that the widespread usage of Snapchat might reflect on

this younger generation. While Wortham provides fair observation of Snapchat, I

disagree with her statement that Snapchat is a place you go to be yourself because I

have noticed people using Snapchat as a tool for crafting an illusory image of their lives

and their experiences.

In contrast to Wortham’s claim that Snapchat users are more inclined to be themselves

on the app, I argue that young people see Snapchat as one of the easiest ways to

falsely stage something about themselves to instead fit the image they wish to portray,

different from their real selves. I experienced this phenomenon with a friend of mine

while hanging out together. This friend comes from a background of money and very

wealthy parents that hold small restrictions upon his ability with their money. Therefore,

when at an event such as a night out at the club, he feels motivated to offer people

drinks, partly due to the positive image that it creates about him in the social setting. As

a result, people at the event who are aware of his financial background ask him

shamelessly for drinks, which he agrees to do due to social pressure, not out of pure

kindness. During this specific night, I was sitting with him quietly in the corner of the
club. While I was simply observing quietly, I saw him take out his phone and record

multiple videos of the club, making sure to emphasize the amusing lights and the large

number of people in the crowd.

Before and after those pictures and videos were taken, all my friend had done that

night was pay for everybody’s drinks, sit down alone, and be among the crowd for small

bits of the night, clearly without enjoying himself. When I woke up the next morning, I

checked Snapchat and eventually scrolled through his story, which showed intense

videos of him at a loud and packed nightclub.

If I had not been there next to him all night witnessing his dull face and his clear lack of

enjoyment, I would've had a completely different image of him and his experience at

that club. I would have assumed he is a fun-loving, exciting, and loose person who

knows how to enjoy the moment. All these characteristics were what one would assume

from the videos and pictures he posted. However, his real behavior during the

experience he flaunts tells a different story, one that he would rather not post on his

Snapchat. Viewers of his Snapchat story also couldn’t see the tiredness inside of him

after countless people took advantage of the money he has. When Wortham argues

that Snapchat is a place where users go to be themselves, I think back to my friend who

utilized Snapchat as a way to give off the sense that he is enjoying his life at large social

events and making the most out of every moment instead of exposing his dull attitude

during a night out with his friends. If one was to be led by his Snapchat story, the true

self of my friend would have been distorted to one that is more fitting for him, which
therefore shows how Wortham’s statement that Snapchat users use the app for showing

their true selves is false.