After ninth grader Olive Bracken Saenz takes a photo on Snapchat, she adds text, a filter or a sticker to it. She pauses to think before hitting the “send to” button. She wonders which private story to post it on — will the people on her more public story judge it? Should she just post it for her closest friends? 

Olive is one of many Snapchat users who post on their Private Stories, a feature on Snapchat often used by teenagers to document funny moments in their lives and share updates with friends — all with the ability to control how public or private they want these stories to be. Choosing who is able to see which story is something that is important to many teens as more private stories tend to be more vulnerable and contain personal, trusted information.

Snapchat stories reach different audiences, and junior Annabelle McCormick uses three regularly. Her most private story is only able to be viewed by her closest friends.

“My most private one is people that I feel comfortable saying anything to,” Annabelle said, “like people who know everything about me.”

Her posts range anywhere from things that happen on a daily basis to crazy encounters she has. Her stories allow her to communicate with friends without texting each and every one of them. 

“I feel like it’s an easier way to update all of my friends about what is happening in my life,” Annabelle said.

Olive has four private stories that range in their public visibility and content. On her most public story, she posts pictures for other people’s birthdays. On the most private, she posts her funniest moments and rants for only select people to see.

“I think most people use Private Stories because they want to be able to post funny things but not have people judge them for it, so that’s why they create spaces where it’s people that they trust,” Olive said.

Junior Ty Quiles, who documents trips and everyday vlogs on his Private Story, appreciates that Private Stories allow him to choose who can view each post.

“It’s very dependent on if I can hold a conversation that’s very surface level and if I can talk to you about things that are more silly or be more serious,” Ty said.

Ty also acknowledges that Private Stories can be negative, too. As they become more exclusive, they can be used to offer an invite into someone’s inner circle, creating drama.

“For me my Private Story is more like with my close group of friends, people I’m close with, but I definitely know people where it’s like, ‘Oh you’re getting on the Private Story,’” Ty said. “It’s a more hierarchical thing than ‘These are people I’m really comfortable with.’”

Ty says stories can take away from living in the moment, and sometimes they are too public.

“Some people are comfortable with posting their whole life on their public story,” Ty said. “In terms of my life, I don’t know if I want that on blast.”

However, Ty does appreciate the distance that Snapchat private stories can bridge. He has an older sister in college, and even though she is not in Chicago, he stays updated on her life through her private stories.

“If I could, I would just hang out with everybody, but that’s not really possible,” Ty said. “I think Snapchat is a great way to talk and interact with people, even people who live very far away.”

Private Stories also help Olive stay connected with her long-distance friends. 

“I have a lot of friends in different areas, not all in Chicago or not all in Hyde Park, and a lot of friends I don’t see every day,” Olive said, “so I think I’m motivated because I want that group of people to see what I’m up to.”