this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2023
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Privacy
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I don't have a choice. If everybody uses Facebook Messenger for communication, then I need to use Facebook Messenger. Not using Facebook Messenger at all in that case is cutting everybody out of my life. I'm not willing to do that.
Use Beeper then, at least you won't have to use Facebook's app
True, but good luck getting an acct.
Its just a matter of getting a invite code from someone whose already in the door. There is basically lots of people who generate it for others. Id do it if I was at home.
I have one and would be happy to share my referral code to anyone who sends me a DM
No, it's not. Is your claim that if you sent an SMS they wouldnt receive it? If you called them would their phone not ring? It's 100% a choice, your making. Make it if you like, just don't kid yourself.
5-10 years ago when FB was still popular EVERYBODY I knew used it, including messenger. I never did, I haven't lost contact with a single person who was actually my friend. Again, there's a difference between actual friends and FB friends.
Your situation is different from mine. Facebook might not be popular in your country anymore but it's the largest social media platform in mine. Young people don't use SMS for communication in my country anymore. The majority has switched to Facebook Messenger now. SMS is only for carrier messages and verification codes. Even if I did get like one or two friends to use SMS again (unlimited SMS not included in phone plans by the way), how do you propose I solve the problem of Messenger group chats? I need them for family, for friends, for college and for work. How do you propose I solve that?
Here people use WhatsApp, not Facebook messenger, but the idea is the same. I left WhatsApp last year. My dearest friends and family have installed Signal after I did. They haven't left WhatsApp but they use it to contact me. We have group chats on Signal. If colleagues need to reach me I tell them they can sent me an SMS or join Signal. They mostly just send SMS. I used to be in a group chats from my 2 jobs. Luckily I don't necessarily need to be in either of them, it's mostly used for trading shifts and there are other ways to do that. Important communication goes through email.
When one method of communication is the norm it is obviously very difficult to move away from it, and for some people it will feel almost impossible. We shouldn't deny that there is a choice, because there is, but obviously for some it will be a lot easier than for others. I was in the lucky position that it felt possible, and it worked out great. I am very relieved that I am part of fewer group chats now. They're quite a burden actually. I hope in the future when things shift a little further from the current norm, it will be possible for you as well.
Youve missed the point, it WAS that popular here, that changed nothing. If I sent an SMS , they got it. If YOU send an SMS, they'll get it.
You can do whatever you like, but you're intermixing want vs need. So you can either CHOSE to send an SMS or you don't. But you don't NEED to. May be more convenient, but you need to decide whether to make like arguably easier, or maintain slightly more privacy. That's your choice, but don't kid yourself that it's not a choice you have.
I used to be nice to use privacy invading convenient things, it was great to tell my phone to remind me of things when I left work etc. but my privacy is more important than that convenience. Using a known abusive data minor as main method of communication is about as bad as it gets for me, at that point, all my privacy efforts are a waste.
I don't spit in the face of my own privacy to appease others, if you chose to, that's fine. Just own it.