[tagyro]

I don't agree - you can't just stop using it. Given the size of facebook (or google, amazon, microsoft, apple etc), they are ingrained in our (tech) life in such a way that one has to invest a - not negligible - amount of work to stop using them. To sum it up: companies want to have "power", but without having "responsibility".

[dadadatamen]

You can. It's almost quite literally an effort of 30 - 60 min per day or week or month, depending on how skilled you are at keeping things convenient, meaning self-hosting services and maintaining them.

[tempaccount1234]

You can, but if you decide to stay away from messengers like WhatsApp, you miss out. Which is OK unless you have kids in school age.

Once a service gets so big, that you are practically forced to join, regulation seems like a very good idea

[dadadatamen]

Regulation is imperative.

Missing out is an illusion.

Enough ways to get around the benefits of using WhatsApp for business. Enough customers hate using WhatsApp to communicate with businesses.

[hackideiomat]

teach your kids signal?

[logifail]

> teach your kids signal?

Getting your own kids to switch messenging client is fairly trivial. Then they can talk to you (and to each other).

The network effect means you then have to persuade other kids, and parents, and sports coaches, and music teachers and ... to switch.

(Source: have three kids and we have exactly this issue)

[dadadatamen]

Did you organize meetings with parents? In coop with teachers?

Signal is spy stuff. WhatsApp means obedience and submission.

[logifail]

> Did you organize meetings with parents? In coop with teachers?

At least where we are, schools have been told not to touch WhatsApp at all, and use another (more GDPR-compliant) messaging product; despite this there is typically an unofficial WhatsApp group for each class, but no teachers are members.

> WhatsApp means obedience and submission

I don't disagree, but I don't think you'll convince many parents to stop using WhatsApp if you approach it like that.

My impression is that most parents are very busy people and are just trying to keep up with the chaos caused by their kids; they will opt for the easiest solution that solves their problem.

[theonlybutlet]

And say getting a job, when everything is through LinkedIn?

[dadadatamen]

You can get the contact details of the hiring manager on the companies website or call their front desk or ask in an E-Mail to info@xyz or support@xyz or even by asking around.

and there are various ways to prove your value that are not based on networks

[theonlybutlet]

You won't know unless you saw the listing, which these days is put on LinkedIn.

[dadadatamen]

well, change your way of picking an employer, I guess?!

the thing is, almost everyone is or will be looking in the near future.

[theonlybutlet]

What I do is of no consequence if that's all hiring managers do. These apps can become systemic.

[pests]

What? They are not a neccessity. You are speaking like technology is food and water.

I have family my age and older who don't never use Facebook and barely interact with technology and they get by life just fine.

[graphe]

You CAN stop using them. Do you WANT to? Are you unable to?

Social media addiction isn't a right, and just because you have a share to Facebook or Twitter integration doesn't mean you have to use either.