Beyond the Snapchat Streak: How to Maintain Friendships from Home

By Katie Van Lew

It’s that time of the year again. College students nationwide have finished their first month of school and are finally settled into their new daily routines. Through classes, clubs, and sports, students have started to meet new people and make new friends every day. As students are engrossed in their new endeavors, freedom, and responsibilities while away at school, they are now faced with a lingering pressure to maintain friendships from home. With friends dispersing throughout the country to pursue their academic careers, it becomes challenging to find ways and coordinate times to communicate every day. 

Thanks to Snapchat, users are able to see pictures of their friends every day through the convenience of their phone. Snapchat is a social media app that allows friends to exchange messages, pictures, and videos. Friendships are kept alive by preserving “streaks” with their friends on Snapchat, which are obtained by routinely Snapchatting a particular friend on a daily basis. Although Snapchat allows a user to see a picture of one’s friend, Snapchatting is merely surface level. The concept of Snapchat is alluring yet fails to evoke a deeper conversation between friends. Aside from Snapchat, there are many other feasible options that can help friendships grow stronger through their time apart.

With the rise of social media, it has become a societal norm to connect with friends using popular phone applications such as Instagram and Twitter. On these social media platforms are accounts that are specifically geared towards producing funny and viral content. Friends can “tag” each other in the comments of a funny post, dubbed a “meme.” Another way to interact with friends on social media is by tagging each other in posts from favorite content creators, such as singers, actors, and other celebrities. 

Sharing music is another way to connect with friends from home. If you and your friend’s favorite artist releases a new song or album, make a plan to listen to it. Upon listening to the album, tell your friend your opinion of it. Listening to and discussing music can act as a therapeutic outlet for friends. 

An antiquated yet sentimental means of connecting with friends from home is by writing letters. A handwritten letter is a physical way of telling a friend how much they mean to you. Texting is convenient because it allows the individual to gain access to the friend at the touch of the fingertips. However, with writing a letter, reflection is necessary. Letters are enticing as the writer has the power to create anything out of it. Letters do not have to be planned and scripted as an essay would be, but rather, they shed light on the raw insight of the mind. 

Long-distance friendships can also be maintained through weekly planned communication. Friends can compare schedules, and set aside a date and time for a phone call. Even if it is only ten minutes a week, it allows ample time to check up on friends, and receive a weekly update. Because friends are so far, it becomes difficult to know when a friend is having a bad day, yet being at different schools has its benefits. When a friend has a dilemma, friends that are at different schools are able to provide an unbiased perspective, thus shedding clarity on the situation.  

The popular streaming devices such as Netflix and Hulu give students access to their favorite shows and movies. When a new season of a favorite show comes back, make a plan with your friend to watch the new season. If there is an agreement to watch one or two episodes a week, the two friends can share in the experience of watching a mutually loved show. At the end of each week, the friends can make plans to discuss the episodes watched. 

Although the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” is a cliche, sharing pictures is an efficient way of evoking memories with a friend. When the feeling of nostalgia arises, looking through pictures of times spent with friends is placating. Whether it is sending your friend a picture or video of a shared memory, sending memorabilia of a day spent together is a friendly reminder that you are thinking of them. Pictures act as a representation of a shared experience, thus allowing for reminiscence of unforgettable memories made together.

College is difficult. It is inevitable that not every day or week is going to be the best one. If you know that your friend is having a bad week, whether it be a breakup, exams, or the stress and pressures of colleges, it is thoughtful to send a care package. Whether it is through treats, a self-care kit, or a package filled with the friend’s favorite items, it sends a message that you are thinking of them. Care packages do not always have to be of great monetary value, but filling the package with their favorite things helps the friend know that you are thinking of them. 

Maintaining friendships does not have to be restricted to maintaining streaks on Snapchat. Long-distance friendships are able to survive through communication, discussion of mutual interests, and effort. If you are missing a friend, simply let them know!