this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2023
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Hate to say it but who gives a fuck?
Just use signal.
The hardest thing about switching communication apps is that you have to convince everyone you talk with to switch as well. I'm stuck in WhatsApp because that's what my friends and family all use.
Right? I feel it's really snobby and disingenuous to just snap back and say "just ditch that and use so and so messaging app", as if messaging platforms didn't require your direct peers to also use them. As long as messaging platforms operate as walled gardens, we have little say on what apps we use. We're at the mercy of the general populace and that's all there is to it, at least until the DMA changes things. I really tried to make people jump ship from WhatsApp to telegram during what seemed like a mass exodus from even businesses (yeah bad choice but I didn't know back then), ended up back on WhatsApp some 3 months later with my tail between my legs, nobody stayed on telegram even though a ton of people downloaded it and jumped in. Now imagine trying to get them all to use a privacy-focused app that gives them a hard time using it in multiple devices. Convenience is the reason why Meta, Apple, Google, MSFT, etc. are on top. You can't expect the general populace to sacrifice it for privacy, not after continuously giving up freedom and privacy for the sake of convenience for decades in the digital space.
People who say that are essentially saying "stop using the messaging app that allows you to talk to everyone regardless of platform and use a proprietary walled garden where you can only talk with those people also using that same app."
At least the iPhone messages app lets you send SMS and iMessage, switching seamlessly.
I just said fuck it one day, deleted WhatsApp and explained to family and friends why I did it. Slowly but surely, almost everyone switched.
But I do realize this will not work for everybody. Your contacts have the same right to use their phone as they see fit as you do, after all. And this kind of freedom is something super important, too.
Gotta find the compromise that works for both parties. If there is one to find, that is.
I have to convince every one of my friends to switch because they all use SMS/iMessage. Outside of the US, you would have to convince every one of your friends to switch from WhatsApp.
There's been some social discrimination occurring around people who don't have blue messages being excluded, or being seen as poor. Not a great use base but the fact I am even aware of blue Vs green messages means some people do.
This is the only semi-legitimate reason I can get behind. For kids in grade-school.
If anybody outside of grade-school brings this up, I would laugh and ignore.
Also the image and video quality problem.
iPhone users be like "but I paid $1200 for this blue bubble!"
1200 for a shitty subpar phone
And a software design 15 years old. None of the added stuff like notification drawer and updates over air is by Apple.
I'd love to, but none of my friends use it unfortunately
After 3 years of use of signal, I have converted my Mom which cares about privacy too from shows she seen. Which allowed us to convert my Brother, with it being the main discussion app. I also converted my SO because of a problem we had on messenger that was scary, finally I was able to move my Best friend, which is also a member of the DND group I started which moved to Signal because others (Brother, Best Friend) where already on Signal
I got lucky. Back when that privacy scare with Whatsapp made mainstream news my Aunt asked in the extended family chat what alternatives there were. I responded that I use SIgnal with my friends (all 2 of them on Signal at the time) and just like that everybody switched. 2 hours later my entire paternal family are on Signal, and still are.
Damn I should have pushed harder when that incident with WhatsApp was all over the news. Only a few of my friends and a couple of family members switched.
Right now someone in my family is in China, and has been there for a decade now. For that, and because more where in China before, our family group is on WeChat. And the years left of work for them in China is coming slowly to an end, and I am extatic for the day I'll propose we move to Signal and away from this 2,71GB app
Sorry, but that's a pretty arrogant thing to say
Not to mention absolutely ridiculous. Dumping friends over their preferred messaging platform is literally what the green bubbles problem is.