Large Heydon Colliderheydon
Jan 11, 2025, 10:15 AMI would dearly love to move everyone I know off WhatsApp onto Signal. But I know in my heart that is not going to happen. Gotta pick your battles.
Replies
Pratik Patelppatel@mstdn.socialJan 11, 2025, 10:19 AM@heydon I gave up on that particular issue a long time ago, especially family. There's no way I'm going to convince any of them to move away from either FB or Whatsapp. I can choose not to be on FB. But group chats on Whatsapp are necessary.
i.jidotj@mastodon.onlineJan 11, 2025, 10:25 AM@heydon It was hard but it is possible. I help those closest to me to install and configure Signal on their phones because I care about them and I want to keep in touch with them. 4 years without using Whatsapp and my life is more peaceful since then.
フィリップfillip@w3c.socialJan 11, 2025, 10:30 AM@heydon I managed this against all expectations.
Never had WhatsApp and drew a line that I would only be reached on a small set of services.
Eventually everyone else moved over. I guess stubbornness won over. And my willingness to be isolated.
Schalk Neethlingschalkneethling@hachyderm.ioJan 11, 2025, 10:34 AM@heydon I was off it for the longest time and then eventually had to bite the bullet and use it as a secondary messenger for two reasons:
1. A bunch of businesses (in South Africa) uses WhatsApp as a support channel and good luck if you are not on it
2. Some people just refused to install another messenger and either had WhataApp or Telegram. seeing that WhatsApp at least uses the Signal protocol, it seems like the lesser of two evils.
Alastair Templesmilingdemon@mastodon.artJan 11, 2025, 10:41 AM@heydon yeah, I have got some onto signal a while back but can't see many changing now. It's been hard enough getting loads of my friends to accept that I don't use Facebook anymore and so they need to contact me some other way (which usually ends up being WhatsApp) because I am not going to see things like invites to Facebook events.
Tjerk (Chairk)potloodgum@mastodon.designJan 11, 2025, 11:50 AM@heydon Someone said that only having Signal for just me was way too much of a hassle for them, kinda understand that argument.
Jan 11, 2025, 11:54 AM@heydon my solution is simply to not have WhatsApp myself. 🤷 If they don’t want to use another messenger, they either have to text or write me an email. Or call. But folks rarely call.
If they care about chatting with you, they’ll at least download the other messenger for you and would be one step closer to switching. 😊
Lea de Groot TZ+10leadegroot@bne.socialJan 11, 2025, 12:31 PM@heydon i wanted to send some bank details to a friend a few weeks back while we were together and i said “do you have Signal?” And she responded by pulling out her phone, squinting and saying “yep, a solid 4 bars”
… not what i meant, and i think the name could have been better chosen :(
Daniel Casanuevadanielcasanueva@mastodon.socialJan 11, 2025, 12:42 PM@heydon I'm not planning on installing WhatsApp. If someone wants to reach me, they still have options. Mainly either Signal, phone call, SMS or email. I haven't had issues so far, but admittedly I'm not the most socially active person. I'm privileged in that I don't _need_ to get WhatsApp.
Goerpgoerp@mastodon.socialJan 11, 2025, 2:38 PM@danielcasanueva @heydon
It was my job that forced me to use it. And I work for the government as well.
🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 🐧 🥦Methylcobalamin@mastodon.socialJan 11, 2025, 12:45 PM@heydon Even big companies haven't found a way to intentionally make people migrate en masse.
Eric Newportkethinov@mastodon.socialJan 11, 2025, 6:01 PM@heydon this, but matrix instead of signal