I hate WhatsApp. Or rather, I hate how much of a grip on the market WhatsApp has.
Basically everybody uses WhatsApp over here; it’s a given that you’d have WhatsApp if your age is below 55 or something. 55-year-olds are also expected to have WhatsApp, actually, if they have a smartphone… Which would be expected of a 55-year-old. I don’t know what the cut-off age is, but it’s high!
There’s Signal, for example, which has equivalent functionality, but people just don’t use it. The point of communication is to communicate, there’s no point in being alone on Signal while everyone else is on WhatsApp.
I suppose that what’s keeping the crown on WhatsApp’s head is the fact it’s closed-source. If there was a way to write an app like Signal that also interopped with WhatsApp I’d switch in an instant. Now, because of the Digital Markets Act, this should happen eventually… But it seemingly isn’t happening.
I’m trying to wean myself off of Google, too. It’s really hard though. Google has really entrenched itself into my life in a way that I simply hadn’t realized. Before I knew it, I look around and everything’s Google: my entertainment, my communication… I’m using a Tuta account now, for sign-ups and the like. I’ve also ditched Google Drive and associated services. But it’s simply impossible, right now, to get rid of everything.
Slowly, though, I’m moving further and further away from these gigacorps.
Im in my late 30s, Switzerland.
I still have to use whatsapp, half my contacts are on there. Though, when it comes to regular interactions it’s more like 80% signal (which is good, we got most of my family, even the even older generation, to switch).
Also my weed delivery service is on whatsapp … so I really can’t quit that.
unfortunately in my contacts very few people use something other than whatsapp. and now even the government started to create fucking communities. I want a law which prevents authorities from publishing anything on a channel which is not open accessible for everyone!
That’s pretty good. How did you manage that?! Didn’t they also feel attached to WhatsApp?
Right, right… lol
It was a funny alliance of my brother, our step dad, me and one aunt, which all had various reasons to be on signal and are kind of tech savy. And really Signal isn’t that different from whatsapp once you set it up.
My cousin just had a baby and it was announced in the signal group, nowhere else as far as I’m aware!
They used sms before … this is an upgrade.