[JohnFen]

> the problem with this is that you're also refusing to interact with people who use those platforms.

That's not a problem for me at all, honestly. I interact with my friends and family through other channels. Nobody I know uses these services exclusively.

> it definitely leaves out billions of people who communicate exclusively via WhatsApp.

I don't want or need to communicate with billions of people. I want and need to communicate with the people I know and care about.

Don't get me wrong -- I'd use an IM app for the convenience if there was one that served my needs. But as long as each IM app is it's own island, then none of them serve my needs at all. I'd have to have a half dozen of them, and that's unmanageable and ridiculous.

[direwolf20]

Which IM app do the people you know and care about have to install to communicate with you?

[JohnFen]

None. The people I know and care about talk with me via SMS, email, voice calls, and in person.