Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by pickledoyster 492 days ago
> it's easy to stop using Facebook. It's a lot harder to stop using Google or Amazon.

Not in my country, where Facebook owns basically the entire messaging space through Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. I have been able to switch my default search engine, email provider, mobile OS, office suite, etc. from Google no problem, but the network effect has been too strong to get most of my friends out of Meta's ad network. It doesn't help that most groups and basically all events are organized through there.

The only real messaging alternative with significant adoption at this point seems to be Telegram, which I cannot support for numerous reasons, primarily for the founder selling the entire user base of vkontakte to an authoritarian state.
4 comments
amanaplanacanal 492 days ago
One thing I have noticed is that local businesses don't have websites any more, they have Facebook pages instead. So if you want to find out about local events, Facebook is the only way.
link
the_gipsy 492 days ago
Not solution to the network problem, but you can bridge/puppet Whatsapp, Instagram, telegram, to matrix.org.
link
oefnak 491 days ago
How can you bridge WhatsApp to matrix? Can you still send pictures?
link
the_gipsy 487 days ago
As sibling said, using the mautrix bridges. I started with just bridge mode I think, and then switched to puppet mode, which seemed to integrate much better. Pictures and everything work fine.

However, you have to maintain a homeserver, which is not for everyone. If wouldn't have one already, I would just pay the element.io service which includes bridging (but I haven't tried it out).

link
averageRoyalty 491 days ago
https://github.com/mautrix/whatsapp

Have a look at ROADMAP.md, but the short answer is yes.

link
yard2010 492 days ago
Over the course of 5-6 years, I managed to move everyone that is important enough to me to Telegram. I don't care about privacy at all, I just couldn't stand the wrong abrasive spit-in-your-face whatsapp UX. It's funny how facebook was enshitified long before it was cool.

Now I don't have notifications enabled for Whatsapp and I rarely answer messages there. It makes me a freak by many standards but I'm free from enshitification in this regard!

link
lokimokitako 492 days ago
Can you use signal?
link
sometimes_all 492 days ago
They could, but its unlikely other people in their network will.
link
pickledoyster 488 days ago
some of us do but the adoption is too low for any meaningful network effect
link