[tungwaiyip]

The article is just not doing a very good job of identifying social networks. Whatsapp is BIG. There are also many non-US base social network, like WeChat, that was not on their radar screen.

EDIT: I should explain myself more.

For my mom, her social network is a paper address book and her phone. That's the technology she use to get in touch with her friends.

Whatapps has the necessary technology and feature. What makes it a "social network" in this context is the adoption. If a large number of your peers are using it as a main way to get in touch, it is their "social network". You may not think of it as such because it looks different than Facebook. But this will become more apparent if you are aware how much penetration it has in some communities.

[Yhippa]

WhatsApp and SMS/MMS chat groups are now my de-facto social network. I just wish they were a bit more feature-filled (not overboard like Facebook Messenger) but that's how my social network has evolved over time. It's almost like Facebook is where I go to see information about people I'm not close to.

It'll be interesting to see how Facebook tries to monetize WhatsApp while balancing privacy issues.

[oneeyedpigeon]

Whatsapp isn't a social network, is it?

[tungwaiyip]

It is very much a social network. That's the place I go to for group chat, catching up with friends and share irrelevant stuff. It wasn't branded as such. But it is entirely social.

[srssays]

It has its own Snapchat Stories now.

[Markoff]

what's social about WhatsApp? last time i checked it was IM client for chatting and calling

[tungwaiyip]

I.e. it is a social network.

[khedoros1]

That's a broader definition than I usually see applied to "social network". By your definition, I was part of a half-dozen social networks (IM platforms) for years before any of the current "social networks" existed.

[tungwaiyip]

Possibly. Like I say my mom has her social network.

[Markoff]

so by your definition any messenger is social network, any network carrier is actually social network, I think you got your definition wrong compared to what people understand under term social network

[tungwaiyip]

If people's understanding of social network is something similar Facebook, then this understanding is too confined. The key is to observe how people adopt the technology. My extended family are geographically dispersed. They have since formed a group using WeChat. Now they are sharing stuff in the group daily. I get to know them more than ever. This is absolutely functioning as a social network.

[Markoff]

so teleconference is social network?

[tungwaiyip]

Do you teleconference your friends and family regularly? My guess is not. But it is always possible a new video app will comes up next year and gain wide adoption.

Today some number of people use Skype to video chat with friends and family regularly. So yes, Skype is also a social network.