I just don’t see it happening. Shit I have a hard time getting them to use god damn Whatsapp or Telegram (still bad but at least better than Instagram).
They are all iPhone users in the US so as you may expect they are too damn lazy to install another messaging app despite having Instagram Snapchat Tiktok BeReal and whatever shitty social media app that exists on the App Store.
For the love of god don’t just say “you need bettee friends” 😂 cause let’s be honest finding a privacy conscious person that you also can get along with in the US as Gen Z is practically impossible.
Don’t have an answer but sharing in your pain as a millennial. 😭
Yk it is a sad world we live in when they already have 5 social media/messaging apps on their phone but refuse to download another one
I can hear the, “But I already have Facebook!” echoing in the halls.
Speaking as someone a bit older, I’ve got an ICQ account, an AIM account, an Apple ID, a Google ID, a few handles on IRC, as well as a Signal account and a Lemmy ID. Never signed up for Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Tiktok, etc. because I actually read their license agreements and privacy policies and in some cases had actual human interactions with some of the owners.
Having said all that, just do you. If you drift away from some of your friends because they’re unwilling to interact with you away from their established online media platform, that’s not the end of the world; it just frees you up for more worthwhile relationships and activities.
I’m 35 now, and I was told recently that not having a Facebook account is a red flag for dating now.
Oh fuckin well, nobody was kicking my door down before I left the site either haha.
“Red flag for dating”… They can ask questions and talk… I heard this line for employment
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I deleted Facebook and Instagram and joined Signal. Not everybody transitioned (instead they wanted me to join WhatsUp lol), but it was a good decision in the long run.
Of course not everybody will transition as well, but let me tell you those who did (in my case) are those who want to be really in contact with you. For the rest I use SMS and E-mail like in the old days haha. You just have to hope that eventually they will join.
It’s really hard decision that you have to think about (it took me some time) but I just say “F*** that” and just did it. Until I remove my Fb and Ig they think that I wasn’t going to do it but well ^^.
Just send them the app url and let them know you do private chats on a private messenger. Show them all the fun stuff like stickers, GIFS, groups, stories, etc. Save the delete messages stuff for later.
A few years ago I got 5 of my millennial friends to move from FB Messenger to Telegram and it took some peer pressure from me and essentially one hangout where we were all together, and moved in one go. Telegram is not perfect but overall it’s much better than being on FB messenger.
You may want to give this a quick read before using signal
https://dessalines.github.io/essays/why_not_signal.html
I personally haven’t verified the claims on there but I’ve been using a personal instance of Matrix for a while now and it’s been working great.
This is straight up misinformation about Signal. The internet was made in part by the US government, so was Tor. You don’t avoid using those, and it’s very public knowledge that they were created with help from the feds.
To be honest I can’t say I blame you; It’s absolutely impossible to get people to move away from a platform without a hard reason.
It’s absurd how often people in general are simply afraid to simply read their screen and try new things on a device.
I know not everyone is willing to do this, but I just made myself unreachable elsewhere and many started using signal for that reason.
by force if necessary
Instructions unclear, currently in jail for kidnapping and aggravated assault
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As a gen z I find this to be basically impossible unless the platform is already in flux. I’m sure Instagram will do something people hate soon enough so just be ready when it goes down.
I tried convincing my group chats and various friends i messaged on facebook quite a bit to download signal with zero success. About a year later i nuked all my social media and told em to text me.
The important people all moved over to signal eventually after that.
Its kind of a sucky way to do it but it worked for meThere’s no easy receipt. Crunch them one by one. Prepare good (and simple!) reasons why the alternatives aren’t acceptable for you.* Start with people you message daily. If someone only receives one message from one person once in a while, they won’t stick for sure.
Try to migrate group chats, after some fraction of people agreed to try it out. FOMO will make the people to check the app.
If you have the most important people convinced, delete WhatsApp and Telegram and stick with it.
I moved from WhatsApp when Facebook bought it. I was able to move most of the people to Telegram (wouldn’t choose that today anymore). Now, WhatsApp is just off the table. If someone ask me for “my WhatsApp” and isn’t willing to use one of the options I offer (Matrix, Signal, Telegram, Threema), I use the inferior SMS, call or (extreamly rare) email. That’s the deal, take it or leave it. I’m not willing to use a messaging app from one of the worst companies acting against many of my principles. If you can’t respect this, we won’t stay in contact. Period.
* Edit: collection of bad press as a reference can help.
I also tried to make my friends use signal or anything that respects privacy, but it was almost impossible. They were used to their platform which is instagram or discord, and they didnt want to move since they had no reason except privacy, which is not their major problem.
I hope one day, that we have a viable protocol like email that will free everybody from vendor lock-in into messaging apps. Allowing us to chose our platform freely.
Unfortunately, I don’t think Matrix is there yet
I bridge WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and Slack using Matrix.
Works extremely well for me.
Matrix is one area I’ve wanted to get into, but haven’t managed to yet. How does bridging work?
