When I Was a Kid: A Look at {Truth or Dare} in Today’s Age

In the world of sleepover games, Truth or Dare is right up there, along with Never Have I Ever and Spin the Bottle. While these are designed to have our friends confess their innermost secrets and crushes while making complete fools of themselves, there’s one underlying question: “Is Truth or Dare like Las Vegas?”

Are we able to keep what happens in the game a true secret?

This depends on who you play with. If you were one of my middle and high school friends, then the answer is “probably not.” Of course, we were never telling strangers about our Truth or Dare games. Yet we all secretly knew that somewhere, there was a record of those occurrences. If it wasn’t a memory of mine, I knew my friends had a photo or a video of it and are most likely storing it for a big birthday, a bachelorette party, or a wedding where they can mix it in with my infamous cat shirt photo.

But in today’s age of social media and digital storytelling, it may be harder for participants to keep these events a secret. Instagram stories, Snapchat, and Facebook moments give users a sense that these moments don’t actually last forever. Because of this, we may feel more confident sharing these “secret” Truth or Dare happenings, bringing them to a wider audience beyond a small group of friends. The addition of electronic logging of these activities gives us a sense of control over how the information is shared and how much of it.

Our phones and technology are inherently becoming a part of the game, with texting-based dares, revealing our most contacted people, or being dared to post something silly on social networks.

Still, does this change the reason we play Truth or Dare? I don’t think so. With or without a camera, it’s always fun to see our friends make out with a magazine photo of a celebrity or try nasty food combos. It’s also a way to challenge them to try new activities, such as prank phone calls, bad karaoke, or revealing what they like most about themselves.

Regardless of the audience, Truth or Dare allows us to not only learn how to make complete fools of ourselves but also place trust in others that, while pouring out our secrets, hopes, and fears, we’re doing so among friends.

There are ridiculous memories that follow us after these games, but what stays with us is the friendships that grow out of getting to know each other in a semi-ridiculous way. Even if it does involve pickle juice, ketchup, and mayo, or the safer mixture of celebrity crushes and makeup challenges.