this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2023
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Privacy
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It also kind of depends on your environment, especially where you live.
If you live in places like US where most messaging is done through SMS or iMessage and calls are done using standard phone call or FaceTime, it's probably just "not easy" to move away from Meta services.
But when you live in places where Meta services (especially WhatsApp, where it's the most used messaging service outside the US) are the only way to contact anyone, well, it's virtually impossible to move away from Meta services.
If I stopped using WhatsApp at this moment, it literally means I won't have any way to contact anyone. Very close friends and close family, maybe I can force them to install Signal, but anyone else? Probably not.
Phone call, maybe, but it's expensive and most people don't pick up phone anymore. SMS? Well, not only it's expensive, even if I'm fine with paying for SMS, most people probably don't so they won't reply. It's not "harder to contact anyone", it's literally "can't contact anyone".
That reminds me, though I understand the controversy of EU's "standardized messaging protocol" regulation, I kind of wish it can work out somehow, so I can get the heck out of WhatsApp and still able to contact people.
Just to give the full context regarding my opinion: I do live in an EU country in which WhatsApp is the default messaging app and Instagram is where people my age and younger use to keep in touch with their social circle.
It's been how you've said. A lot of people I cannot easily reach out. I've managed not to be completely isolated through Telegram.
People I'm really close to me have been kind enough to meet me there. Even some collegues from my previous work. Every time I've gone out with them, we've talked there.
Now I'm in very few family/friends chat groups (the ones I'm in, I actually care about). There's less distractions and notifications. So at least that have been an advantage.
Edit 1: Some typos and grammar mistakes.
Edit 2: Also, I can't say there's no ocasional friction regarding not using Meta. As you said, I'd be amazing if they had interoperability with other messaging services without tracking me. Things would be a lot easier for me.
let's not pretend that Telegram is any better than using WhatsApp.
True in the sense that Telegram is not a real privacy-respecting alternative. So, it's a good thing to point out.
My reasons for leaving Meta are more anti-Meta than anything else. For those who have succeeded at using something really private, my respects. I just not had any good alternative without being cut off society.
If I thought there was no difference between Telegram and WhatsApp, I'd have kept using WhatsApp. But yeah, it's not good option anyway. Just good-enough compromise for me to leave Meta.