 Here in Kuala Lumpur, someone asked for my WhatsApp. I told them that I didn’t have a WhatsApp. At first, they thought I didn’t want to be their friend, but I assured them that I really don’t have WhatsApp. And then they asked me, “How do you go through life without WhatsApp?” 28 comments
 @atomicpoet Try having a Windows Phone. People used to be so confused when I did. "You can't just install the app?"  @tqwhite They send me an email or a text message. If they insist on an instant messenger, I go with Element or Signal. A message really is just a message. My reply was, “Nobody’s asked me ever for WhatsApp.” I could have gone on a big spiel about the evils of Meta, and how Element is better but—trust me—no one in meatspace wants to hear that.  @atomicpoet in most of the world, telecom has been very expensive over the years. But small local companies were able to offer people data connectivity through "Facebook everywhere" that offered unlimited free FB & Whatsapp. That program eventually ended but WA is now the default communications platform in most of the world. @stevenbodzin Ironically, data is way less expensive here in Malaysia than in Canada. By orders of magnitude, in fact.  @atomicpoet We think it is a mistake to not converse about the ills of #FakeBook Corporation. It takes a few ppl to talk about this stuff before it sinks in and they explore ethical options. Remember #GetNEOED (Network Educate Organise Engage with power Disobey) in that order. @atomicpoet Comparing to Canada is never fair, Canada is the worst. But anyway in 2010, when FB was rolling this out, mobile data was utterly inaccessible in most of the world. SMS and voice was also expensive. So WA became the default method for communication. @atomicpoet Outside North America, iMessage is only a thing used by hardcore and Apple fan users. Everywhere else it is basically WhatsApp, followed by Telegram. It is a lifeline for people. And although it clearly says it is from Meta, people doesn’t associate it at all with them. Amazing how they made to keep it split from everything else in people’s mind even trying very hard to don’t. @atomicpoet 99% of the time I use iMessage. Almost everyone I know uses an iPhone and iMessage just works. @atomicpoet Weirdly, declaring that you don’t use WhatsApp — while being a principled argument against Meta — is unfortunately at the same time very much a privileged North American position. In India and Asia in particular, not using WhatsApp is tantamount to “I don’t want to talk to anyone or do any business.” There /is no other option/. (Even here in the US, many Asian communities are WhatsApp exclusive. It’s either use it or don’t participate in the community.) @janakj The reason I say nobody wants to hear a spiel is because nobody wants to hear a spiel. Except, of course, here—where people are true believers. @atomicpoet I’d argue most WhatsApp users in Asia are not true believers. It’s purely network effects. WhatsApp got a toehold when other messaging services were too expensive, and switching costs are astronomical. You can argue (or not argue) to your heart’s content, but short of WhatsApp going down hard for days (or out of business), no one there is going to switch. @janakj I’m not talking about true believers in WhatsApp. I’m talking about true believers in Matrix/Signal/XMPP/etc. I’m not interested in arguing. @atomicpoet hahaha... welcome to South East Asia...! WhatsApp and Telegram are totally encroached in people's life there. You report faulty subway trains or traffic lights by sending a WA to the respective authority! 😅  @atomicpoet this would be the same reaction in the Middle East /GCC for sure. Everyone has WhatsApp.  @atomicpoet I've only ever used it in Costa Rica, but everyone there uses it. It's hard to get around there without it.  I also don't have WhatsApp! This idea that everyone has one that exists in parts of the world is really strange to me.  @atomicpoet funny enough, I've been asked similar question a few years ago when I've told someone that I didn't use Facebook anymore. @atomicpoet The only people I've ever encountered who've asked for my WhatsApp are strangers on dating sites looking to move communication off of the dating site. And I wasn't willing to do it. 😂 @atomicpoet "How do you go through life without WhatsApp?" To quote Me/Ashildr from Doctor Who, "Brilliantly." @atomicpoet I wish I can avoid using WhatsApp too but it’s so deeply entrenched here, not having a WhatsApp account is like telling my manager that I’m not able to work anymore. @atomicpoet *Eastern Asian markets have their own heavyweights but they do still have some WhatsApp usage depending on diasporic pattern |
Gregory's Server
@atomicpoet yeah, it's sadly essential. Even here in the UK, most people have it.