Two days ago, I finally started messaging my extended family members and closest friends about my resolve to delete my WhatsApp account. I was not expecting to receive the reactions I got. Within minutes, family members and friends had replied positively, saying the move to Signal sounded good to them. Many immediately installed the app and messaged me there. I was blown away by how easy and positive the experience had been. All my fears and concerns were pretty much unfounded and exaggerated.
Two days in, I have re-built in Signal all the messaging groups I use most frequently. The transition has been seamless.
I’m feeling like Toto. The experience has been so easy, and positive, that I’d thought I’d write about this, in case you too are tempted to quit WhatsApp or any other app owned by Facebook.
The Realists, Quitting Whatsapp & Pulling Back the Curtain on Facebook’s Grand Illusion
I’ve never used WhatsApp myself, and while some people give me the looks when I say they need to use Signal, or Telegram, or plain old SMS to contact me, recently an increasing number of my friends has switched to using Signal – totally on their own, not because I asked them.
The argument that you’ll lose all your contacts and conversations if you quit WhatsApp really doesn’t hold up. You don’t have to delete WhatsApp today in order to start announcing to your network that you’re using Signal (or Threema or whatever else) as your primary messaging app.
Let it be a process and be the change you want to see in the world. 🙂
I’m moving from messengers like Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, etc. to Telegram (not too many use Signal), but for some group chats I simply can’t. Like the one where I get the latest pictures of my two nieces. And I don’t want to miss them 😉 But beside that, I only use WhatsApp for a hand full of contacts. I never really used it to be honest 😀
I did a quick count in the three messengers on the availability of my contacts in these messengers:
– Signal: 7,8%
– Telegram: 10,8%
– WhatsApp: 45,5%
I would love to see higher numbers with alternative messenger, but it’s still a long way to go :/
Yup, I hear you! On the other hand, every person pulling at least a part of their network over can help make change happen. And it’s exponential growth we’re talking about. 😉