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Ask HN: How would you convince your friends and family to switch from WhatsApp?

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Ask HN: How would you convince your friends and family to switch from WhatsApp?

#41

Post by axiom92 »

ublaze wrote: post #36

I started using Telegram a couple of years ago to prevent my "online status" on Whatsapp being visible to everyone. Just start using both, and convince a few close family members (spouse/parents) to start using the app. People cannot be forced into using a new product. On the other hand, they will automatically use the better product if their network is on both. Now my parents and partner are comfortable with both Wh…

>I started using Telegram a couple of years ago to prevent my "online status" on Whatsapp being visible to everyone.

FWIW you can just disable this in the settings.

Re: Ask HN: How would you convince your friends and family to switch from WhatsApp?

#42

Post by selfhoster11 »

speedgoose wrote: post #17

I value contacts with my family and friends more than protecting what's left of my privacy from Facebook. So I will accept the terms of use without reading them like anyone else, continue to vote for politicians that do laws to protect my privacy, such as the GDPR, and continue to fight the privacy abuses at my own scale.

This is the pragmatic approach to the issue. Switching from a ubiquitous communications platform to something that practically nobody uses (relative to WhatsApp's active user numbers) carries a high cost in Weirdness Points[0], and those are only very slowly renewable unless you want to be seen as "the rebel of the family".

[0] https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/wkuDgmpxwbu2M2k3w/you-have-a...

Re: Ask HN: How would you convince your friends and family to switch from WhatsApp?

#43

Post by Franciscouzo »

axiom92 wrote: post #41
ublaze wrote: post #36

I started using Telegram a couple of years ago to prevent my "online status" on Whatsapp being visible to everyone. Just start using both, and convince a few close family members (spouse/parents) to start using the app. People cannot be forced into using a new product. On the other hand, they will automatically use the better product if their network is on both. Now my parents and partner are comfortable with both Wh…

>I started using Telegram a couple of years ago to prevent my "online status" on Whatsapp being visible to everyone. FWIW you can just disable this in the settings.

No you can't, you can only hide your last seen status.

Re: Ask HN: How would you convince your friends and family to switch from WhatsApp?

#44

Post by sumtechguy »

selfhoster11 wrote: post #37
leokennis wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My strategy is: tell them I will be leaving WhatsApp, and they can reach me on Signal. If they don’t care enough to install a free app to talk to me, good riddance.

This is a good strategy for burning bridges that don't have to be burnt (and I mean between friends, not just random acquaintances who you don't care for). It's better to gradually shift person-by-person so that you don't lose relationships.

I have been through this 'transition' about 4 times now on other applications. "oh I do not use that one anymore I use XYZ" when it comes up and offer to help them setup a new account. I then usually just fire it up for them for a small conversation right then but then turn it off. There is nothing wrong with having more than one application. Hell most of our phones are already running dozens of them. But at a point you grow weary of them. I used to use aggregator applications like trillian. But they always seem to be chasing the breakage or not able to interpolate at all.

In a couple of years it will be some other application that will be the top dog. "Hey what is your ICQ number?"

It also depends if you are considered a hub or spoke in your social circles. If you are a 'spoke' then getting others to change would be hard. If you are a 'hub' you have better success.

Re: Ask HN: How would you convince your friends and family to switch from WhatsApp?

#45

Post by Abishek_Muthian »

selfhoster11 wrote: post #33
Abishek_Muthian wrote: post #13

Steps, I've taken in order. 0. Removing myself from all active WhatsApp groups. 1. Setting the WhatsApp status to 'Message me on Signal or Email me' and not responding to non-important messages till they message on Signal or Email me. 2. When someone asks if we can continue our conversation on WhatsApp, politely informing them that I don't use WhatsApp and asking them to message on Signal. 3. Setting a Tasker auto re…

Uprooting and going away with no warning, and then refusing to communicate unless it's not from an old platform sounds is a perfect recipe for being seen as awfully arrogant. The issue here is that it's a sudden approach. Humans are creatures of habit, and shifting interpersonal relationships slowly matters. This is not an API migration to a new provider where you push a commit or two and it's done. If you explain wh…

Hence I included 'Politely', I should have also included I've been doing this for ~ 2 years.

My primary mode of communication is email, 100% for professional communication. Yes, there are people who are offended when I impose such communication criteria and I've lost business opportunities.

But thoughtful communications due to non-real-time nature of email has qualitatively increased and not having to touch the phone often has resulted in better physical and mental health(the whole reason for me making these major changes in first place)[1].

[1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25619584 (Related comment on another thread with more details and a good counter opinion).

Re: Ask HN: How would you convince your friends and family to switch from WhatsApp?

#47

Post by ericmay »

gtirloni wrote: post #38
leokennis wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My strategy is: tell them I will be leaving WhatsApp, and they can reach me on Signal. If they don’t care enough to install a free app to talk to me, good riddance.

Good luck saying good riddance to your immediate family.

If you lose contact with your immediate family because of a messaging platform it's not really a great relationship that needs to be maintained anyway. You can visit, call, text, or email too.

Re: Ask HN: How would you convince your friends and family to switch from WhatsApp?

#48

Post by andreygrehov »

millibar wrote: post #23
andreygrehov wrote: post #14

I don't use any messenger apps, but I work in AdTech. Just curious, what exactly are you trying to hide? What kind of information is being shared by WhatsApp?

Do you use the default messenger apps that come pre-installed or just non what-so-ever? And Why?

On a daily basis, when it comes to messaging, I simply text my friends.

Re: Ask HN: How would you convince your friends and family to switch from WhatsApp?

#50

Post by dharmab »

gtirloni wrote: post #3

Nobody will give a damn about the privacy changes. You've got to convince them based on other features like stickers, video playback and other "exciting" things.

There's a reason the first line in every iOS changelog is all the new supported emojis.
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