WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
seirdy.one
WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
1–10 of 112 posts
Re: WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
#2The acquisition never should have been allowed. Everybody must reject Zuckerberg's attempts to own the world
Re: WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
#3We should decide which information about us we give, and which we don’t. No matter the app we use, noone should collect information about the app usage without user permission. This should be a law right now, but the cookies were more relevant, I pressume.
Re: WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
#4“WhatsApp’s existing users were held captive by the fact that leaving WhatsApp meant losing the ability to communicate with WhatsApp users.”
I'm confused. I thought everyone was identified by their phone number, which can be used to receive texts from anyone.
Re: WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
#5Wow, never thought of an app's predatory behaviour akin to 'domestication' - but it is true, i find it incredibly hard to leave.
the other interesting point the author makes is that the domestication can be inadvertently done by the app.
So, what is a well meaning app creator to do? Is'nt that just a symptom of success? He mentions what Signal could have done ( move towards decentralization) but not clear what Mozilla could have done?
Re: WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
#6The problem with WhatsApp is not that users are locked in. You can install as many chat apps as you want. WhatsApp has no exclusivity over its users.
The problem with WhatsApp is that it only has one alternative. In terms of chat apps that use the signal protocol there's two: WhatsApp and Signal. And Signal is not quite as good as WhatsApp. It's certainly much improved but it's not there yet.
Re: WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
#7“WhatsApp’s existing users were held captive by the fact that leaving WhatsApp meant losing the ability to communicate with WhatsApp users.” I'm confused. I thought everyone was identified by their phone number, which can be used to receive texts from anyone.
Had SMS supported group text, Whatsapp would have never existed in the 1st world (and had SMS been free in Asia, Whatsapp would have never existed at all).
Re: WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
#8The problem with WhatsApp is not that users are locked in. You can install as many chat apps as you want. WhatsApp has no exclusivity over its users. The problem with WhatsApp is that it only has one alternative. In terms of chat apps that use the signal protocol there's two: WhatsApp and Signal. And Signal is not quite as good as WhatsApp. It's certainly much improved but it's not there yet.
The vast majority of users don't care about the underlying encryption. That's a problem, in a sense, but the core problem here is the network effect. That it's the natural behaviour of people doesn't make it not a problem.
Re: WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
#9"domestication" makes me think of "oversocialization" used in the unabomber manifesto[1].
> 24. Psychologists use the term “socialization” to designate the process by which children are trained to think and act as society demands. A person is said to be well socialized if he believes in and obeys the moral code of his society and fits in well as a functioning part of that society.
> ...
> 26. Oversocialization can lead to low self-esteem, a sense of powerlessness, defeatism, guilt, etc. One of the most important means by which our society socializes children is by making them feel ashamed of behavior or speech that is contrary to society’s expectations. If this is overdone, or if a particular child is especially susceptible to such feelings, he ends by feeling ashamed of HIMSELF. [...] And socialization is not just a matter of morality; we are socialized to conform to many norms of behavior that do not fall under the heading of morality. Thus the oversocialized person is kept on a psychological leash and spends his life running on rails that society has laid down for him. In many oversocialized people this results in a sense of constraint and powerlessness that can be a severe hardship. We suggest that oversocialization is among the more serious cruelties that human beings inflict on one another.
I removed some bits for brevity and because they're overtly political. I particularly like "Thus the oversocialized person is kept on a psychological leash and spends his life running on rails that society has laid down for him".
[1]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/unab...
Re: WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
#10The problem with WhatsApp is not that users are locked in. You can install as many chat apps as you want. WhatsApp has no exclusivity over its users. The problem with WhatsApp is that it only has one alternative. In terms of chat apps that use the signal protocol there's two: WhatsApp and Signal. And Signal is not quite as good as WhatsApp. It's certainly much improved but it's not there yet.
There are a few alternatives, actually.
There is also Element (based on Matrix), and XMPP which use encryption based on the Signal Protocol. Both are mentioned in the article.
And yes: users are locked in, because your whole social network is expected to be on WhatsApp. 1) you need to convince others to find you on alternatives (every single person even people you just met, you have to explain what&why; also: workplace, clubs, etc. or leave them). You certainly aren't going to convince everyone 2) you will miss out on a lot: people are being invited into groups, but they can't invite you anymore to just join; people create groups on the messenger they use most often, because it is more convenient for them. In summary, if you have a active social life and grow/grew up with it you will have a lot of friction if you really want to get rid of it. That is what I would call locked in.