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>The reason I've kept it is because I use Facebook Messenger to talk to some people, and because a lot of events use Facebook. The events thing I can see because Facebook has become the de facto way to organize events and has become the de facto websites for a lot of small businesses and organizations. But the thing about not being able to give up Messenger always confuses me when it comes up. (Please note that I'm not specifically picking on you, I just see this same sentiment a lot and this was a convenient comment to reply to). Presumably anyone that has a Facebook account has an email address or a phone number, since it's not possible to create an account without one, so anyone on Facebook should be available via email or text message (since 'phone number' nowadays almost always means 'cell phone number'). But maybe the people that you're talking to don't want to give you their email address or phone number for whatever reason. That seems weird that someone who is ostensibly my friend would withhold that information, but I'm sure that there are valid reasons for that to happen. Then you can give them your preferred alternate contact method: Jitsi, IRC, email semaphore, smoke signals, USPS mail, whatever. Then the rebuttal is usually something along the lines of, "Well, I can't force them to use the communication method I want to use", which is also weird because that's exactly what they're doing to you by refusing to use anything but Messenger. And, yes, I understand that a problem can arise where one friend is only available via ICQ, one via IRC, one via Skype, one via Signal, etc., and you don't want dozens of apps clogging up your phone/computer/whatever, which is why I recommend my friends email or text or even call me whenever they want to chat. There is also the case that is brought up that the person that has to use Messenger to talk to people because they're literally not reachable any other way, which I understand is possible in certain countries where Internet access is severely restricted or nonexistent and the only reliable access to the outside world is via Facebook/Messenger on a cell phone. I get that, too, and that actually does make some sense. But for everyone else, I don't get it. |