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Whatsapp dominated Brazil. I work at a big government organization. Every department has its whatts group. I know a guy at my state government cabinet. He has
by motoboi 11y ago
Whatsapp dominated Brazil.
I work at a big government organization. Every department has its whatts group.
I know a guy at my state government cabinet. He has several whatts groups (even one with the governor himself).
I know a gentleman which is a judge. He has a group with his partner judges and one with his staff.
My point is: if whatsapp usage is so pervasive at other countries as it is at Brazil, it will soon, by (physical) social network effect, dominate USA.
The alternatives:
* Facebook Messenger: too slow. Only one friend of mine uses it.
* Telegram: looks and feels like a whatts clone. Some people here seem passionate about inviting friends, but most people I talk about fail to see any advantage in using it. Some people hate it. As a plus, it will SPAM all your contacts when you sign up.
* Google Hangout: even I can't figure out what this is. Is this SMS or a messenger application. Now my phone has another application called Messenger (from Google). Confuse. No one I know use it.
* SMS: too expensive.
* Apple Message: only Apple users can use it. People prefer whatts because everyone is there.
* Zoiper: got traction, but whatts voice messages killed it.
- SimpleMinds 11y ago"if whatsapp usage is so pervasive at other countries as it is at Brazil, it will soon, by (physical) social network effect, dominate USA." By using this logic, WeChat should also dominate USA - which is not happening. It's still interesting to me that WeChat is not more popular, considering its superior (for me) experience over WhatsApp.
- motoboi 11y agoTo clarify, I am counting on the social network effect. One person has several social connections, at church, work, gym and so on. Your contacts have their own contacts and so on. At some point, this network crosses borders. Being a country with so many migrants, this happens real close to you at USA. If a Brazilian living in USA wants to talk to his family or friends in Brazil, he must use the same channel everybody here uses (or he will felt excluded). I don't know the numbers, but this can indeed happen with WeChat, but I think whatts is used in more countries.
- jeromegv 11y agoWhat's interesting is that it's very popular in Canada.. but for some reason not the US
- wil421 11y agoHow is SMS too expensive? At least in the US all the common plans come with unlimited SMS/MMS I use Whatsapp to connect with my brother-in-law in Costa Rica and his family and thats it. Everyone else in the US I use group messages with. There are probly 6 or 7 group message groups I use on weekly basis and more I use less frequently. There isnt really a reason to switch from group messages to whatsapp. Especially if all the participants have an iPhone it makes things easier. I have several Android friends as well and we use group messages together.
- maw 11y agoHe's not in the US. Things are different outside it. Further, on some carriers and especially between carriers, you can't rely on an SMS reaching its destination. For all its faults -- and they are legion -- Whatsapp is a real improvement in this regard.
- wil421 11y agoInteresting I never thought SMS had issues reaching destinations but I can understand how it could happen. It would also explain why having a robust/cheap SMS option would deter users from Whatsapp.
- motoboi 11y agoSMS is expensive in Brazil. Some carriers doesn't even count whatsapp data usage.
- GFischer 11y agoSMS used to be the carriers' cash cow. Many have been slow to adapt ("premium" plans were sold based on SMS and voice minutes). In the U.S., maybe some social groups all have an iPhone, but not in South America. However, most everyone can have a phone with WhatsApp (even basic featurephones have it).
- exhilaration 11y agoMy neighborhood in farm country Pennsylvania, USA is entirely on whatsapp. There's a general group for the adults and a separate mom's group. I was annoyed to have to have to install an app when I moved here ("Why can't we just use e-mail lists?" I asked) but whatsapp was so established that nobody was interested in giving it up.
- xfalcox 11y agoI had an appointment at an ophthalmologist clinic. The same day confirmation came through Whatsapp. And this is a high profile clinic in the Paulista Avenue. Whatsapp won. Most carriers doesn't even count data usage on the app!
- Shorel 11y agoThe fact that you did not include Skype seems like something to point out. It means it's dying after the MS acquisition.
- motoboi 11y agoNever really saw Skype as a text messenger, only as a videoconferencing tool.
- Shorel 11y agoWe use it at work for mostly text, everyday, only doing calls once a week or less. I don't see anything lacking in it as a text messenger, and it works in PC, Web and smartphones. Unless you need the thousands of emoticons that Messenger and Line provide.