Snapchat Faces Backlash Over Solar System Feature Highlighting Friendship Hierarchies and Addictive Design
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Snapchat introduced a "Solar System" feature showing how close friends are, based on communication frequency. This caused hurt feelings when people realized they weren't as close to friends as they thought.
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After negative feedback that the feature can make those feelings worse, Snapchat has now turned "Solar System" off by default, though subscribers can still turn it on.
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Snapchat defends "Solar System" by saying people wanted more awareness about friendships, but it may really be a way to keep young users addicted.
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Snapchat also has a "Best Friends" feature highlighting your closest contacts, and "Streaks" encouraging repeated app use by tracking communication over days.
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While Snapchat says it aims to mitigate downsides of online communication, features like these have opened it to lawsuits and inquiries over addictive, psychologically harmful design.