Email, docs, music, maps etc have reasonable alternatives and you don’t depend on others to switch (a gmail user will receive my email from tuta). But with WhatsApp either you conceal and use it or you just don’t talk to people (tried convincing them to switch to signal and it simply doesn’t happen)
How do you deal with it?
Either enjoy the advantages of WhatsApp and be happy with the way it is. Or just don’t use it.
People from the United States can’t understand how difficult is for us who live in countries where WhatsApp is used for everything, they can’t understand this trend began even before Meta bought Whatsapp. In Mexico is a nightmare without WhatsApp because is the main source of communication not only for the people but for your job, delivery, assistance and more. So basically what you can do is to have a device for WhatsApp and another for your private life
I have two profiles on my GOS and Wapp lives on one of them. However, i manage people expectations telling them that my Wapp phone is almost always off so they know that if its urgent, they need to call or use Signal. Eventually people will understand and if they dont, i am not prepared to live my life by the needs if others. I lived at a time where there were no mobile phones. Life worked the same, albeit at a slower pace. People, we really dont need to be hyperconnected. Relax and let people understand that yheir mental status will improve once they put some rules between them and their mobile devices.
Don’t use it. Refuse to talk with anyone that says they want me to use it. It’s been working great.
Had to install and use an anonymous number that no one has for like 2 things that I was really in need to for interacting with some businesses though and for when many people were laid off in the company and that’s where I needed to find some info.
Either I use Signal only or SMS which has worked great for many years. Now with RCS it’s the same as any other internet based chat even with video calls.
I’m confused. If you want security, why do you prefer SMS to whatapp?
Either all or nothing. But for certain not contributing to the destruction of humanity by using Meta products.
I find not having friends helps with this
i patiently explain why i refuse to use it and then speak about the preferable alternatives
I don’t have Whatsapp and I will never use it. If people don’t want to use Signal, Telegram, XMPP, Matrix, SimpleX, or Delta Chat, we will talk over RCS/SMS.
Sms is now so developped, sending pictures and videos, calling is one click away, no need to install or update : it is surprisingly useful. Then you have the same issue with Wechat for Chinese communities
Only problem is that ive started noticing telcoms are discouraging their use by limiting number of sms on monthly plan. Wonder why …?
SMS is only text. Pictures and videos are MMS which, in many countries, are not configured by default, are not included in plans and cost a lot, around 0.20€/MMS.
Ah ! I am in France, did not knew that sorry
I have tried not using it and it is not worth it for me. The problem was not close friends. But everyone else including all other than my direct family if i don’t have WhatsApp my family just send sms and at that point I thing WhatsApp is better at least its end to end encrypted. You also exclude your self form groups that get created at clubs/association(i don’t know the English word).
I decide some time ago that my person life is more important that privacy because my mental health suffered because of stressing about privacy and cutting my self socially off to some extend by not using WhatsApp.
If you use android you can install it in a privet space or a second profile so it don’t run all the time in the background.
All my friends went cold turkey when I canceled all Facebook products two years ago. I switched to signal; some were using it already, some followed me, some use both. Screw the rest; they can use SMS, or snail mail, it turns out they were unreflective jerks to begin with. Culling is always refreshing. Admittedly, with signal being USA based, I will probably switch to a EU service soon, so the fun starts all over 🤪
Im hearing more and more about Deltachat. Where is it based?
eh, it runs on e-mail infrastructure; also, it does a little bit more than messaging.
You can use your usual e-mail ID, and message anybody else’s e-mail ID, but securely only if they also use Delta Chat. To work around the big servers seeing your social graph, they recommend using randomly-generated IDs on always-encrypted tuned e-mail servers that they call “chat mail” servers.
Either way, you also get user-to-user web apps called WebXDC. This is something even some XMPP clients have added nowadays.
I just don’t talk to people.
I mean, I didn’t watch Game of Thrones, so I’ll never be a citizen of humanity. Seems like a decade and a half went by of conversations that went “So did you see Game of Thrones last night?” “No, I don’t watch that show.” “Oh. Bye.” The sooner you realize everyone is an empty headed content consumer and there has never been anything worth saying to or hearing from any of them, the sooner you’ll wonder why you even own a phone.
While your statement was true regarding phone (and WhatsApp) being a lifestyle choice, it has become a critical requirement for participating in the society.
In India, every little thing now requires WhatsApp. Want to contact your doctor, lawyer or want to get receipt? Good luck if you don’t have a smartphone and WhatsApp.
So not having WhatsApp is not a choice. Believe me. I have been running GrapheneOS, WhatsApp free. It is so hard.
Disagree. My doctor shouldnt be using whatsapp to communicate my health issues. We guve them this freedom. Stand for your rights.
The doctor isn’t the problem here. They’re simply trying to communicate in the most frictionless way possible. So do the billions of people. The real failure is our governments. They allow basic communication protocols to be privatized and monopolized rather than mandating open, federated standards.
Everyone I talk to regularily has Signal or Discord (yes i know I would prefer Matrix or something), basically the only reason I have WhatsApp is one or two group chats I don’t read.
If Discord, why not WhatsApp?
The few people who really care about me, agreed to contact me via SMS.
The close family even uses XMPP for me.Its easy. I have never used WhatsApp. I refuse to install or use any meta apps.
I use like five different messengers for different friend groups. I wish I had the confidence and determination of my brother who singlehandedly forced my entire extended family to exclusively use Signal amongst each other He basically blackmailed them lmao but it worked and after 1 month of adjusting noone complained
hard to say, I don’t use WhatsApp, i deleted it when FB bought it, yes, that long ago.
Naomi Brockwell TV on YT or Odyssey had a video about that, forgot the name. You basically make it more painful to communicate on other platforms, reward for using your preferred platform (e.g. offer tickets to a game through preferred platform).
Don’t expect people to move completely, including close friends
