Same here. You can not use it yourself but it will mostly keep you out of the loop on everything.
Comment on WhatsApp is one step closer to adding email address verification
Metz@lemmy.world 10 months agoIt is extremely widespread in Europe. In Germany, a good 50 million people (out of 80) use it every day. I would describe myself as very tech-savvy and privacy-conscious and would normally never use it , but since everyone in the family and friends use it without exception, there is no escape.
brunox@feddit.cl 10 months ago
Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
How is that even a thing? are your data-plans that shitty that this bit of whatsapp-traffic matters? Unless you’re sending some hour-long movies every days.
brunox@feddit.cl 10 months ago
Depends on the country, in mine data plans are not that expensive (add some asterisks to that). But they include those “whatsapp free” or some streaming service traffic with no cost to get the edge over other phone companies. All of them mostly have the whatsapp free thing.
I used to live in a different country and it did make a significant difference, as @desconectado@lemm.ee points out below.
Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
You mean the WA-traffic made a significant difference? But how? It’s still mostly just text, no?
Here data is expensive, but a messenger wouldn’t make a difference (unless you’d exchange a lot of large files) so that any provider would gain a benefit over the competition. Including TV or netflix or tidal hifi, that’d would. Weird…
desconectado@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Data plans exists, but there is no good middle ground. You have the unlimited 4g connection for 20 USD , or the WhatsApp only for a few dollars.
Most of the people, specially older age or people who already have unlimited data from work phones, do not need 4g unlimited connection, so why spend extra 15 USD (which is a lot in latin America), if you can still communicate perfectly fine via WhatsApp.
Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
I’m german too, and I just deny using a tool just because “everyone else does it”. Those who use it and want to contact me, have bad luck or just use a decent messenger. This “there-is-no-escape”-mentality helps that shitty company to keep its grasp on people. I try to educate and offer alternatives. If it’s not accepted, then at least I tried.
desconectado@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Nah man, I value way more the contact with my mum and close friends more than refusing to use an stupid app.
If my mum is in trouble and try to message me via WhatsApp: “sorry mum, I don’t answer WhatsApp messages, good luck next time trying to get someone to help you”. By the way, most of my family calls via WhatsApp because we live in different countries.
Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
So. They can choose the app, but you mustn’t? That’s a weird reasoning imho.
You know, there’s still a thing like sms or email if they really have to and ignore my simple wishes.
desconectado@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Yeah, they do, that’s what living in a society is, not everyone does as you want, and you have to compromise.I have my own choices (in other aspects) which they probably have to live with. But I’m not going to ghost my mum just because she uses WhatsApp, that’s plain entitlement and stupidity.