My honest reply is that you don't know the conversations you were excluded from because of this decision.

This is just rationalizing FOMO. Of course you don't know the things you don't know.

Except you actually are getting excluded in a lot of conversations after uninstalling, thus it's not just a fear...

So it's not FOMO, it's just plain MO.

Yes, I continue to use WhatsApp because I have fear of missing out.

Missing out on conversations from my extended family, friends (only about 1/4 use Signal and all groups are on WhatsApp), work (the Health Service in Ireland literally runs on WhatsApp), voluntary undertakings (all of which are organised on WhatsApp), organising stuff for the kids (again all on WhatsApp).

So it's a valid fear based on the reality in my social circle and country. Unilaterally moving to Signal means self-imposed isolation.

> the Health Service in Ireland literally runs on WhatsApp

This part is terrifying: does Ireland not have the equivalent of HSR (UK, in combination with a patchwork of other legislation) or HIPAA?

Ireland is subject to the GDPR and various Data Protection Acts, but WhatsApp is an officially sanctioned communications medium. It's not used for patient communication or sending clinical data.

I think you might also be surprised by the level of WhatsApp use in the NHS. It's far more common in actual use than Pando or Teams.

Interested in a bit more context re Ireland Health Service - how does this work with older people / those in remote areas?

It's not generally used for patient communications or transmitting clinical data, but all organisation of shifts, clinical updates, etc is through WhatsApp. It's an official communication medium: https://healthservice.hse.ie/staff/procedures-guidelines/dig...

In 2021, when nearly the entire HSE IT system went down due to a cyberattack (including HSE email), literally the entire service ran on WhatsApp and taxis filled with paper records driving around.

> the Health Service in Ireland literally runs on WhatsApp

What do you mean? I live in Ireland and no health professional has ever contacted me via WhatsApp.

It's not public-facing. WhatsApp is the primary means of communication for HSE staff (and most of the public service).

Okay, fair enough. But presumably the WhatsApp groups are set up on an ad hoc basis by groups of staff - they're not being directed to use it by the HSE?

No, it's an official HSE communications channel. It was already prevalent before the cyberattack, but at that point, nearly all non-clinical comms moved to WhatsApp.

You just get added to the relevant groups by your manager (obviously there's also unofficial social groups) and that's where you'll get 90%+ of rosters, clinical updates, service bulletins, etc.

Complain, that is not acceptable. Forcing people to be a member of a corporation is not on

How often would it have mattered if you missed out on those conversations, say as a percentage?

FOMO can be rational or irrational. In this case it is very much rational.

And to be honest, I realize that, and I'm absolutely fine with it.

Maybe some won't be, but the path of idealism isn't always the most convenient.

Taking the consequences works fine if you're not responsible for anyone but yourself.

"Sorry kids, you aren't going to your friends parties or playing sports with them because my ideals conflict with your reality" is not a tenable position.

you forgot something... here, just add:

"your mileage may vary"

and bob's your aunty

Not to worry your kids friends will share that they have a party. If you forbid your daughter from dating a guy they will find there way around that somehow.

> Taking the consequences works fine if you're not responsible for anyone but yourself.

Yeah, definitely. I'm just responsible for myself. The day I have to be responsible for others, I'll just immigrate to a country where everybody uses Telegram haha.

Tbh I'm kind of amused that you rail against WhatsApp and then went and installed Telegram rather than Signal.

I have done my research well and I still support Telegram. I don't think Signal has what is needed to rival WhatsApp.

Telegram is a much better option that does not sell your user data and still has the best privacy options. Where most people like to disagree is the security part, but E2EE is not as important to me as long as my privacy is respected.

Agreed, if I need to send encrypted data, I won't be using a messaging app to do it.

Many reasons. Telegram is less evil then Whatsapp and it's best in class UI/UX. It's a compromise.

Signal is horrible to use and inconvenient for most people but with e2ee.

This is a blessing, not a curse.

And that's a good thing maybe.

I look at this as being more of a hidden blessing. The people I had been actual friends with, not just acquaintances, had no problems adding Signal. It was mostly for expat friends since in my part of the US we just SMS/iMessage, and we have group messages on Signal for the couple of mixed-location mutual friends. They still use WhatsApp for their other contacts but turns out this filtered for the people that cared enough if I were in their life or not.

Even after making the effort to keep up with the ones that only wanted to use WhatsApps, through email or regular text message, they couldn't be bothered. I guess I have moved into the point in my life where I prefer the quality of friends who wanted me around for more than being an extra body to fill out their party guest list (and similar).