The other day, I came across someone who was asking the following question:
“Why does he only Snapchat me, but not text?”
Believe it or not, this seems to be a pretty common question. In the past, I’ve seen numerous TikTok videos that questioned this kind of behavior. Many even labelled it as “suspicious”.
However, I feel as though calling it “suspicious” is jumping the gun a little. Many of these people seem to be overthinking the situation. As a result, they are completely overlooking all of the more reasonable explanations.
Why do people send snaps instead of text messages?
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why people prefer Snapchat over text messages.
They are more comfortable using Snapchat.
A lot of people, particularly the younger generation, are far more comfortable using Snapchat than iMessage or Android’s “Messages” app. They have grown to use it as their primary method of communication. All of their friends use the app, they know exactly how it works and they like the features that it has.
All in all, it is a familiar app to them. And people like familiarity. So much so, in fact, that they will often kick up a fuss whenever a large app such as Snapchat or Instagram undergoes a redesign.
In the end, it is all about familiarity.
For example, certain people like to stick to Facebook’s Messenger app. Others will prefer to use WhatsApp over regular text messaging. Or they may exclusively use iMessage.
In other words, everyone has an app that they personally favor as their messaging app. It is all down to personal preference.
In my case, I tend to use Whatsapp first. If they do not have Whatsapp, then I will try to use Facebook Messenger or Snapchat. The only time I will use regular text messages is if the person I’m wanting to contact does not have any of those apps.
Snapchat doesn’t cost money to use.
With Snapchat, all you need is an Internet connection. Text messages, on the other hand, can be limited by your network. They can also cost money. For example, his cell phone plan could only allow him to send 300 free texts per month.
Furthermore, it doesn’t really matter if he has free texts now. If text messages cost him money in the past, he may associate them with being “limited”.
People want their Snapchat scores to go up.
On Snapchat, your profile score goes up when you interact with others. As a result, people who care about this score may try and limit their interactions to inside the app. If they have a choice between sending you a text message or sending you a snap, they may choose to send the snap, simply because that will result in their “Snapscore” going up.
They like the thought of a Snapchat emoji appearing beside your name.
Snapchat can display certain emojis beside your friends’ names. These emojis have different meanings and are based on who you have recently interacted with the most. For example, he might want to see a smiley emoji appear beside your name. Or better yet, a yellow heart, as that signifies that you are best friends with one another. He may even want to start a Snap streak with you.
Are they using it because Snapchat messages disappear?
I don’t buy this explanation, simply because you can easily delete messages in other apps such as iMessage and WhatsApp. It doesn’t take too much effort to wipe a conversation or completely remove a message thread.
In fact, using Snapchat to secretly message people is riskier in my opinion, as the app will add emojis beside friends’ names if you interact with them enough.
Conclusion.
If someone always uses Snapchat to contact you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are being deceitful or shady. In reality, it is probably because they like the app.
In most cases, the answer is as simple as that. There is no need to overthink the situation and jump to conclusions.