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Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

economictimes.indiatimes.com

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Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#21

Post by fakeyguy »

codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

I just got 3 of my groups migrated to Signal. I expect many more to be migrated by the end of the month. While many may still remain lots of people will be off WA by 8th Feb.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#22

Post by sdepablos »

codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

Sometimes I think HN people were born out of thin air and don't have families. That or mine is special, because if I said to them to change from WhatsApp to whatever in the basis of privacy concerns they'd say that: 1. FB already knows everything about them (btw, a social network the still use) 2. They'd lost contact with a lot of people

And all this without taking into account features that can make the product even more pervasive (I'm thinking payments)

The problem is that once a product becomes the de facto solution and everyone is onboard, is hard to change it, specially one with network effects. If it wasn't we would be using e.g. other search engines, wouldn't be?

Finally, I'd say the announcement of this change is perfectly timed: just after Christmas and in the middle of a pandemic. By the time we meet again with our extended families and we do the de rigueur holidays' technical support this change will have been forgotten by most people ;)

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#23

Post by mmsimanga »

In the part of Africa I am from, the challenge is cellular network providers sell data bundles specifically for WhatsApp. It is so much cheaper to buy a social media data bundle than generic data to use for browsing the web. As a result Telegram and Signal cannot compete.

WhatsApp is literally the internet.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#24

Post by codeknight11 »

quantummkv wrote: post #18
codeknight11 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't. And most millenials don't use it unless they are extroverts. But we make a small percentage of their audience. Take a look at boomer WhatsApp in India. Every single boomer shares stories with images of Gods or daily morning blessings, where they went, what they cooked etc.

Boomers don't care about the platforms. They will go where their kids go and continue posting there.

https://jakeseliger.com/2018/11/14/is-there-an-actual-facebo...

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#27

Post by cercatrova »

mmsimanga wrote: post #23

In the part of Africa I am from, the challenge is cellular network providers sell data bundles specifically for WhatsApp. It is so much cheaper to buy a social media data bundle than generic data to use for browsing the web. As a result Telegram and Signal cannot compete. WhatsApp is literally the internet.

Net neutrality is a very needed thing there it seems, as everywhere.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#28

Post by robjan »

shortandsweet wrote: post #6
codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

Why does signal need to compete?

It doesn't need to compete but without competing it's even less likely to cause a mass exodus from WhatsApp.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#29

Post by Datagenerator »

fakeyguy wrote: post #21
codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

I just got 3 of my groups migrated to Signal. I expect many more to be migrated by the end of the month. While many may still remain lots of people will be off WA by 8th Feb.

Suggested to move and within one hour my group of peers all moved. Didn't expect it be to smooth but they are happy to add emoticons to each message and won't go back. The feature of automatic message expiration and deletion gives more options for conversations which are more sensitive and requiring higher levels of privacy. The next hurdle is to realize your keyboard application can log all you have written, so no Swift (Microsoft) or Gboard (Google) on that surface of snooping around.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#30

Post by throwthrowcatch »

codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

Signal will be become popular -- if it does -- just like how every other network based app became popular eg. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram, Snapchat. Examples from work... Zoom, Slack etc. First it's used among a small group of people, has a "cool"ness factor and a USP. Then slowly spreads as other people want to be seen as ahead of the curve and want to be part of an exclusive group. So the Hacker News crowd using it is actually a good sign.

What we need additionally in this case more than the "WhatsApp but better" argument is continually making people aware of the incumbent's behavior, since WhatsApp is well entrenched, to cast doubts in people's minds.

SMS lost because it was costly and lacked features. What will make WhatsApp lose?

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