(unpaywalled version on archive.today: https://archive.ph/03cwZ)

Interesting figure that comes out of the article: 87% of US teens prefer iPhones. Also the explanations given aren’t quite surprising, I guess it’s mostly because of iMessage. Teens will feel like outcasts if they get an Android phone while their friends still use iMessage because of the green bubbles.

It’s actually hilarious how we allowed consumerism to take us this far and that we have now peer pressure over smartphones.

“You’re telling me in 2023, you still have a ’Droid? […] You gotta be at least 50 years old.”

ouch 😔

  • @[email protected]
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    3991 year ago

    My entire life I’ve been reading news that only iPhones are cool, yet my social circles don’t care and have never said anything like this. I feel like this is a ‘Hello fellow kids’ type of investigative journalism, that is a secret apple ad.

    • Izzy
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      1571 year ago

      I’m also convinced these are really just paid for by Apple ads. I’ve never seen anyone care about such a thing.

      • @SuperIce
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        441 year ago

        How often are you around teens though? My dad is a high school teacher and his students are always surprised and ask him why he has an Android and not an iPhone.

        • @Pattern
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          201 year ago

          High school teacher here, and I see this a bit (although I have an iPhone)

        • TSG_Asmodeus (he, him)
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          161 year ago

          I’ve heard this is an American thing. I’m Canadian, and my kids are teenagers and only one friend they have has an iPhone, the rest are on Android (as are all of my friends now, the last one went over to Android last year)

          • @Eldritch
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            101 year ago

            Yes this is definitely a major American thing. There isn’t really anything equivalent to the green bubble shaming outside of America. And I would Hazard a guess that this is also more prevalent in more affluent coastal areas. As well as especially on the West coast. Apple’s back yard.

      • @[email protected]
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        1 year ago

        Nah. That’s North America. iPhones in North America have become a status symbol, you have to be available on iMessage, otherwise they’ll contact you by SMS. I know a lot of people in Canada who have no other messaging app (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, etc.). They only communicate via iMessage.

        • @PickTheStick
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          -81 year ago

          Unless you care about privacy (signal), why even have a second messaging app? I have the phone to make calls and send texts. The default shit works well on iphone and android.

          • @ProvableGecko
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            151 year ago

            It’s called the network effect. The rest of the world (except China) uses WhatsApp so if you want to communicate with them you use whatever they use.

          • @Zak
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            61 year ago

            Just off the top of my head…

            • High-quality media (SMS/MMS has low size limits)
            • No cost for international messaging
            • Works on WiFi without cell reception
            • Delivery notifications let you know the message wasn’t lost; read notifications are also an option, but some people turn them off for privacy
            • Many have desktop clients so you can type on a real keyboard when you’re at a computer (there are sync solutions for SMS with additional software)
            • If you care about mass surveillance (I think you should), several chat apps use strong cryptography
          • @[email protected]
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            51 year ago

            Because SMS is unreliable. On several occasions, SMS messages have either been delayed by hours or simply never reached their destination. Mind you, that’s my experience here in Canada.

          • @[email protected]
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            11 year ago

            My family uses Whatsapp and my work uses GroupMe. If we just text, things get lis5t or come in oit of order.

      • @[email protected]
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        141 year ago

        Eh, that was my highschool experience at least. It was never super serious or anything, like it’s not like I was being bullied lol, but I was regularly teased about it in my friend group.

        • @[email protected]
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          91 year ago

          When I was in highschool, the phone was attached to the wall in the kitchen. Simpler times.

          • @[email protected]
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            61 year ago

            When i was in school, you could throw the phone against a wall and the wall got damaged. Simpler times.

    • ArxCyberwolf
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      881 year ago

      Who the fuck calls Android devices “'Droids” unironically? This couldn’t have been real teenagers. Not ones from the past decade at the very least.

      • @[email protected]
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        1 year ago

        I’ve never run into that, but I feel like it’s a good pivotable moment:

        "Yeah Bob, this closed source walled garden isn’t playing nice with the group chat… good point, let’s move to Signal where everyone can have a good experience. "

        • @deong
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          1 year ago

          Going from one app (iMessage) to two isn’t an unambiguous win though. All the iPhone users’ experience got worse.

          To be clear, this is such minor shit that the real answer is, “ok, I guess we’ll live with it because that’s how we communicate with our friends now”, but it is certainly nicer for them if everyone is on an iPhone and they don’t have to solve that problem.

      • Margot RobbieM
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        11 year ago

        I hope Sup. will take off. That will get a lot more people using the Fediverse in a format they prefer if there’s a FB Messager alternative attached to it.

    • @weedazz
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      231 year ago

      I’m 36, have had windows mobile pocket PCs thru HTCs and eventually Samsung Galaxies, and have absolutely been shamed several times by different friend groups over the last decade plus lfor not having iMessage. It def ramped up in the later 2010s

      • @[email protected]
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        51 year ago

        Can you expand on your experiences? Was the social pressure constant, or just a comment? Do you think it impacted your relationships with your friends?

    • @[email protected]
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      211 year ago

      I have, in my dating life, gotten lightening charging cables to have around the house.

      It’s never fun to have someone ask you for a charger, you saying “Sure, use the fast charger right there”, and not have the lightening cable for their phone. But it’s also a catch-22, if you DO have the cable they need then its “Why do you have this cable, you don’t have a iphone”.

      • @[email protected]
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        391 year ago

        “Why do you have this cable, you don’t have a iphone”

        It’s like having some spare toothbrushes and women’s hygiene stuff just in case someone stays over. You’ll score points for being thoughtful, but on the other hand they’ll be like: waaait a minute …

        • @[email protected]
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          241 year ago

          Top iphone tip, heh -

          When guests leave little reminders around the house, keep them in labeled zip loc bags, not in a general lost and found bin.

          Far less awkward when they ask where their stuff is and you pull out a huge box of jewelry and clothing - “Can you describe your earrings for me?” - never goes down well.

          • @[email protected]
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            301 year ago

            Yeah, much better to go: “What’s your name again? Ah Jessica, let’s see… Jade, Jane, Jasmine… ah right Jessica, here’s your stuff!”

      • @Deftdrummer
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        71 year ago

        “it’s an ex girlfriend’s” is a good ice breaker.

    • @[email protected]
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      71 year ago

      I mentioned it in another comment, but this was real in my experience. At least in highschool. It’s not like I was bullied or anything, but I was teased about it quite a bit and honestly it made me want to switch to iPhone just to fit in.

  • Schwim Dandy
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    2701 year ago

    “This unbiased and purely informative piece of journalism sponsored by Apple.”

  • @reddig33
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    1 year ago

    No one gives a shit which phone you have.

    Also, no one uses the term “droid”.

    This article reads like “fellow kids” nonsense.

    • @cbarrick
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      891 year ago

      No one gives a shit which phone you have.

      In high school, they absolutely do.

      Like, the epitome of the high school experience is social peer pressure about dumb shit.

      And this can have a huge effect on the market in 5 years time.

      • @[email protected]
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        261 year ago

        this must be a us thing, I’d say over half the people have in Ireland have iPhones but nobody cares really, if anything my custom rommed Poco f3 has gotten a bit of interest from a few friends

        • @[email protected]
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          51 year ago

          Same. I mean I haven’t been to highschool in a little over ten years, so I can’t say what kids are using these days. But here in Australia, none of us really cares about what phone you have. Though I think most of us were Samsung users.

          • @Cryophilia
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            -31 year ago

            There should probably be a sticky post on every article about anything US related. Something like,

            “DEAR NON-AMERICANS (ESPECIALLY EUROPEANS). THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT AN AMERICAN PHENOMENON. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COME INTO THIS THREAD AND TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND IT. YOU MAY SIMPLY MOVE ON. CHEERS.”

            Seriously, it’s a good 1/4 of the posts.

            • Matt
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              41 year ago

              Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for the article title to specify it’s specifically about the US, then? The US is the only country that doesn’t do this and it’s really annoying when just browsing (especially since lemmy.world is hosted by a Dutch individual using software made by Europeans).

              Your “suggestion” is far more condescending.

              • @Cryophilia
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                11 year ago

                I see articles all the time that don’t specify the country.

                I think that would be a good blanket rule for every post. If it’s a news article, list the country.

            • @[email protected]
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              21 year ago

              I feel like most non-Americans understand that not everything is about them.

              It’s the Americans that need to learn that not everything is about them. (Not saying that you don’t, but there’s way too many Americans I talk to who think that the world revolves around them).

        • @[email protected]
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          01 year ago

          Here in Canada from what I’ve seen at my school at least 85% of students have an iPhone. I have been the only person in multiple classes to have an Android phone.

      • @andrr_464
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        171 year ago

        as a high schooler (outside of america) my friends mostly have androids, I’m not saying they are better, just saying that they are more common

      • @[email protected]
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        1 year ago

        God, the memories you just unlocked

        There was this one guy at school who one day rocked up with his new Windows Phone, that was the cool, new thing then.
        When I came up to him and told him he wasn’t going to be the only one with a 4" Amoled screen, he was devastated

        Man, we were stupid

    • @SCB
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      401 year ago

      I got roasted by a room full of interns for having an android phone last week.

      • @robert235
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        131 year ago

        Idk what people use. I had two coworkers from another country ask why I don’t have an iPhone?

        • @SCB
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          211 year ago

          Yeah I could not care less. Seems beyond weird to me. Reminds me of the old video game console arguments in elementary school.

          • @Redditiscancer789
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            61 year ago

            It’s always been this way. Some people are just slaves to the brand. “why aren’t you using a MacBook instead of that cheap Windows laptop?”

            Because the Windows laptop had better hardware, better support for the apps I want to use right now and potential apps in the future, was cheaper, and is easier to repair or expand if I want to in the future.

            “But…but…apple said they’re the best…”

    • Margot RobbieM
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      171 year ago

      Also, no one uses the term “droid”.

      glance at sidebar

      🥲

    • Alien Surfer
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      1 year ago

      No, this is real. An iPhone to kids is like a social status symbol and potential family wealth indicator. Of course it’s absolute bull, but just as adults are, kids are horribly manipulated by marketing and advertising too. Kids have glommed onto phones for conspicuous consumption whereas adults glom onto cars and houses for said signals.

      Of course not all adults or kids do this, but a great deal do. That’s where the stupid bumper sticker comes from that says, “He who has the most toys at the end wins!” Very ugly stuff, in my opinion. And if there is a devil, that’s where it lives mostly.

  • @teranex
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    1781 year ago

    I think that is mostly a US thing, as I see way more Androids in Europe than iPhones. But I could be wrong

      • doc
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        251 year ago

        Yep. Primary chat protocol is still SMS. The general population hasn’t latched on to WhatsApp or others like many countries have.

        • @[email protected]
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          111 year ago

          I really struggle with switching stuff to WhatsApp just because it’s Facebook. But yeah, every time I go to another country I end up having to download it for something.

      • lemmyvore
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        81 year ago

        We like to think that but if you want to reach people who are on Whatsapp you’re gonna have to install Whatsapp. And the other way around, if people have a group for whatever (plan a group outing, kids’ soccer team, tenants’ association etc.) on Whatsapp and one person is not on Whatsapp, tough luck buddy, they get left out.

        Apple framed it as an “iPhone vs Android” issue for their own reasons but the larger issue (social network peer pressure) is very much a thing in Europe too.

    • @Deftdrummer
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      231 year ago

      And it’s so outdated too. The iPhone was a “cool” status symbol in like 2010 and 2014. Not so much when everyone has them.

      • 𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏
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        31 year ago

        I thought that time period was more a Blackberry thing, and to a lesser extent the Sony Xperia and Galaxy series was taking off

        • @Deftdrummer
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          31 year ago

          Nah, since 2007 when the iPhone came out everyone had to have one. Then the 2nd model had GPS and apps in 2008 and blew the doors wide open. By 2010 HTC was releasing phones like the incredible and the “droid” moniker was in full swing - with Apple consistently mopping the floor.

          I’d say iPhone fervor kind of died down around 2010 actually.

    • @[email protected]
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      131 year ago

      100%, I’ve lived both in the US and Europe, and Androids are definitely more prevalent in Europe than in the US.

    • @[email protected]
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      101 year ago

      Judging by the amount of times I hear the same ringtone as mine, I think where I live in the UK is about 70-80% Samsung Android phones.

    • callyral
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      61 year ago

      I live in Brazil and don’t know many people with iPhones, most have Android phones

    • @electrogamerman
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      11 year ago

      Definitely not in Germany, I think. People here are obsessed with apple. But im not native German, so maybe im wrong.

  • @coheedcollapse
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    1701 year ago

    I think the most frustrating part is Apple is willfully hampering the ability to intercommunicate between iPhones and Androids and people aren’t like “Oh, fuck them for doing that”, they’re like “Oh, Android sucks.” Like it’s just a wildly successful and incredibly scummy tactic to convince people that Apple devices are superior and people didn’t just fall for it, they’re willfully diving in headfirst.

    It’s a shame, really, because I do think they make some pretty good hardware. Might not be my thing, but they make a good phone. That said, I’ll never patronize them because of the bullshit I’ve had to endure trying to communicate with my iPhone-owning family.

  • Nakedmole
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    1 year ago

    Removed by mod

  • @[email protected]
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    1101 year ago

    Holy fuck, kids are cringe. I hate this blue bubble elitism so much. Glad it’s not a really a thing in Europe.

  • @[email protected]
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    1001 year ago

    This news just in: teenagers can be arseholes to each other.

    Back in my day, it was over the brand of sneakers or jeans that you wore.

  • @[email protected]
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    971 year ago

    I’m amazed it’s 2023 and we’ve still not universally adopted a protocol better than SMS. Thanks Apple

  • @[email protected]
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    951 year ago

    This has to be a US thing, in Switzerland there is not a single person I communicate with using iMessage. It’s WhatsApp or Signal.

  • @phamanhvu01
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    1 year ago

    *Why American Teen Hate Android Phones

    Also I’m very glad how Lemmy is a lot less US defaultism than Reddit is. It’s pretty tiring having to constantly hear about Democrats vs Republicans, or green bubbles, or Nissan cars bad, you get the point.

  • @Ultraviolet
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    921 year ago

    They’ll also say they’re too smart to be affected by advertising.