Returning to WhatsApp

Towards the start of this year I made the decision to leave Facebook and part of doing that meant I had to also move off of WhatsApp to Signal Messenger. A couple of months later and I’m back on WhatsApp. So what happened to my stance on privacy, and why am I using WhatsApp again?

Well, simply put, it was peer pressure and convenience that made me switch. While several of my friends moved to Signal and others make use of Apple’s iMessage, the majority of my friends stayed on WhatsApp. And unfortunately, the simple fact of the matter is that in order to stay in contact with them, I had to sign up again for a WhatsApp account.

The hold that Big Tech has over us means that sometimes we have to forego privacy. The COVID-19 epidemic has meant that it’s been even harder to move off WhatsApp. How are you supposed to stay in contact with people, when no one moves to privacy alternatives and email has become an outdated form of communication for most people?

One of the reasons I most despise Big Tech is because they have managed to make themselves seem like an integral part of our lives to the point that we no longer question their hold over us. We forego our privacy in the face of convenience and being part of the larger group.

I am certainly part of the problem, but until a better solution presents itself, I will have to make do with WhatsApp.

I’m publishing this as part of 100 Days To Offload. You can join in yourself by visiting https://100daystooffload.com.

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