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I have wanted to leave Whatsapp for years, but I can't realistically do it since most people assume it's your messaging app of choice here (including coworkers

by mkl95 6y ago

I have wanted to leave Whatsapp for years, but I can't realistically do it since most people assume it's your messaging app of choice here (including coworkers / bosses). I would actually prefer it these changes weren't delayed since it will also delay the eventual user exodus to Signal / Telegram.

Hamuko 6y ago
Just leave. If your coworkers and bosses want to text you, they'll do it via Signal.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- Debug_Overload 6y ago
  This is just not realistic, and not how the world works. "Oh, you expect me to be available on the app we used to communicate regularly and most people in our circle use? Too bad, I just dumped it and got on this new app, so you guys better install it just to have the privilege to communicate with me." Umm, no. I use both WhatsApp and Signal (way before this hysteria began) but the "just leave" mentality isn't realistic. Most people don't care about this stuff enough to install a new app and start using it. Even for people who will join it, it takes time. The network effect is still there. Being on HN too much and/or having social circles full of people who think like you misleads people.
  - pmlnr 6y ago
    > but the "just leave" mentality isn't realistic Oh, but it is. You just need to accept a drop in your social circle.
  - bsaul 6y ago
    i actually think this time is different. I've never seen that much non-tech friend leave whatsapp and appear on signal at the same time. Saying "i'm on signal" could be totally considered normal in just a few weeks from now.
  - Hamuko 6y ago
    None of the people I had on WhatsApp think like me. They're mostly just my family and relatives. But I told them "I'm quitting WhatsApp, if you need to message me, use Signal". And they all just downloaded Signal because it's honestly not that big of a deal. It's just another free chat app. "It's not how the world works". Of course it is. Most people downloaded WhatsApp because someone told them to so they could message each other.
    - aneemzic 6y ago
      It isn't how the world works. For change there needs to a value proposition. Your entire proposition is it fits your personal views. Why do you expect others to change for your personal choices when you aren't willing to change for theirs? You essentially have a personal disagreement with the practices of a specific company and want to inconvenience others who might not think the same way. It's arguably a selfish perspective, family members may be willing to bend to those demands for an individual. But to expect businesses to indulge every single individual preferences for how they wish to be contacted is impractical.
dastx 6y ago
"I'm sorry, I don't have WhatsApp. I am available via Signal, Email, and failing both of those, also available via text messages." Problem solved.
- eknkc 6y ago
  Nope. Everything happens in WhatsApp here. Just moved to a new building and they added me to a whatsapp group for announcements / requests etc. Also, movers, utility people etc would call and ask for a “location”. Not an address. A “location”, meaning sharing a location via whatsapp. Noone even mentions the name whatsapp. It is implied. If you have children, most schools have whatsapp groups for parents and teachers to get in contact. I mean I can find much more. Not having WhatsApp is not an option here. It is almost like not having a cell phone.
  - duke_core 6y ago
    I live in the subcontinent and 100% agree with you, I don't know most westerners are able to comprehend how much Whatsapp is tied into our day to day lives. It also plays a huge huge hand in spreading fake news here through message forwards, most politicians here pay off journalists who maintain several large group chats where they spread misinformation (exponentially)
    - helmholtz 6y ago
      An important thing to ask yourself is "Why are you commenting?" This isn't a dig but a real question. I don't mean to belittle you or the GP. Is it just idle ranting or are you hoping to find a solution? If the former, my complete sympathies. Carrying around this low-level resentment about an app all while having to use it isn't great. But if it's the latter, then the solution is obvious. Delete the app and then let the chips fall where they may. I guarantee there is a grumpy 60 year old in your life who just never ditched his Nokia and "it works for him". It's clear that you can't have it both ways. I make this comment because too often on the internet people will comment on a self-help article, or someone sharing their success story, or a piece of advice with "Yeah, but it doesn't work for me because..." Well, great? Sorry to hear that? This topic, then, is not for you? Carry on and good luck? It's just too many people expect universal solutions that MUST work EVERYWHERE without exceptions.

by mkl95 6y ago

Hamuko 6y ago

Just leave. If your coworkers and bosses want to text you, they'll do it via Signal.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
Debug_Overload 6y ago
This is just not realistic, and not how the world works. "Oh, you expect me to be available on the app we used to communicate regularly and most people in our circle use? Too bad, I just dumped it and got on this new app, so you guys better install it just to have the privilege to communicate with me." Umm, no. I use both WhatsApp and Signal (way before this hysteria began) but the "just leave" mentality isn't realistic. Most people don't care about this stuff enough to install a new app and start using it. Even for people who will join it, it takes time. The network effect is still there. Being on HN too much and/or having social circles full of people who think like you misleads people.
- pmlnr 6y ago
  > but the "just leave" mentality isn't realistic Oh, but it is. You just need to accept a drop in your social circle.
- bsaul 6y ago
  i actually think this time is different. I've never seen that much non-tech friend leave whatsapp and appear on signal at the same time. Saying "i'm on signal" could be totally considered normal in just a few weeks from now.
- Hamuko 6y ago
  None of the people I had on WhatsApp think like me. They're mostly just my family and relatives. But I told them "I'm quitting WhatsApp, if you need to message me, use Signal". And they all just downloaded Signal because it's honestly not that big of a deal. It's just another free chat app. "It's not how the world works". Of course it is. Most people downloaded WhatsApp because someone told them to so they could message each other.
  - aneemzic 6y ago
    It isn't how the world works. For change there needs to a value proposition. Your entire proposition is it fits your personal views. Why do you expect others to change for your personal choices when you aren't willing to change for theirs? You essentially have a personal disagreement with the practices of a specific company and want to inconvenience others who might not think the same way. It's arguably a selfish perspective, family members may be willing to bend to those demands for an individual. But to expect businesses to indulge every single individual preferences for how they wish to be contacted is impractical.

dastx 6y ago

"I'm sorry, I don't have WhatsApp. I am available via Signal, Email, and failing both of those, also available via text messages." Problem solved.

eknkc 6y ago
Nope. Everything happens in WhatsApp here. Just moved to a new building and they added me to a whatsapp group for announcements / requests etc. Also, movers, utility people etc would call and ask for a “location”. Not an address. A “location”, meaning sharing a location via whatsapp. Noone even mentions the name whatsapp. It is implied. If you have children, most schools have whatsapp groups for parents and teachers to get in contact. I mean I can find much more. Not having WhatsApp is not an option here. It is almost like not having a cell phone.
- duke_core 6y ago
  I live in the subcontinent and 100% agree with you, I don't know most westerners are able to comprehend how much Whatsapp is tied into our day to day lives. It also plays a huge huge hand in spreading fake news here through message forwards, most politicians here pay off journalists who maintain several large group chats where they spread misinformation (exponentially)
  - helmholtz 6y ago
    An important thing to ask yourself is "Why are you commenting?" This isn't a dig but a real question. I don't mean to belittle you or the GP. Is it just idle ranting or are you hoping to find a solution? If the former, my complete sympathies. Carrying around this low-level resentment about an app all while having to use it isn't great. But if it's the latter, then the solution is obvious. Delete the app and then let the chips fall where they may. I guarantee there is a grumpy 60 year old in your life who just never ditched his Nokia and "it works for him". It's clear that you can't have it both ways. I make this comment because too often on the internet people will comment on a self-help article, or someone sharing their success story, or a piece of advice with "Yeah, but it doesn't work for me because..." Well, great? Sorry to hear that? This topic, then, is not for you? Carry on and good luck? It's just too many people expect universal solutions that MUST work EVERYWHERE without exceptions.