For the vast majority of consumers, rival
messaging apps such as Discord, Bridgefy, Kik,
Snapchat, Skype, Keybase, and Viber offer the
same features as WhatsApp, but what they
do not yet offer is the universal userbase. Any
developer can build a back-and-forth text
and image-based messaging app, adding in
exciting features like emoji stickers and support
for GIFs and audio - no one app is better than
the other. In the months ahead, consumers
must decide whether they can be bothered to
have three or four messaging apps installed on
their smartphones, chatting to different friends,
colleagues, and clients on each platform, or
whether they’ll bite the bullet and return to
WhatsApp, allowing the company to hold onto
even more of its personal information. In fact,
some technology journalists have pointed out
the irony and hypocrisy of this recent surge in
WhatsApp criticism, noting that the messaging
giant has been sharing user information with
Facebook since 2016. Surely, if we want access
to unlimited, free messaging, we need to pay
something for it? In the case of WhatsApp, our
data is the currency, which is becoming more
valuable every day. Telegram, for example, is
yet to monetize its offering, though says
it will begin doing this year. So, speaking
hypothetically, what makes Telegram better
than Facebook?
A NEW WAR ON DATA PROTECTION
As consumers become increasingly conscious
of their personal data, technology giants must
work harder to persuade us to part with our
information. The good old days of handing over
our address, phone number, age, salary, and