Privacy: A Myth

I understand that people are concerned about the privacy of their data and hence are shifting to other platforms like Signal and Telegram, from WhatsApp, but is it as easy as it looks- for the whole population to shift to a different platform.

Even if the half of the population shifts, they will have to keep using WhatsApp to connect with the other half, and when I say half, I am definitely quoting a lot more than that's possible.

I have heard people say that the users might shift if they are made aware about the data privacy, but is spreading awareness that easy, that it starts showing immediate results in the majority of the population? We have been spreading awareness around the notions like- elimination of the use of plastic, women safety and equality, LGBTQ+ community rights and many more, since years, but are we even half way through- I would say no, we aren't. We might be able to reach the shore one day, but it's a process and each one of it takes its own time.

We think just because we are aware about something, the majority is, while it's actually the opposite. Most of the people are receiving a message about shifting to Signal from WhatsApp on WhatsApp itself, isn't it ironical?

WhatsApp actually brought a revolution, by scratching out the concept of 100 text messages a day, and it took years for it to reach to even the most backward and rural areas, and it will take much longer for any other platform to convince that population that they should go for another similar application and explain them the actual agenda behind it.

While till March 2020 we could say that a lot many people still didn't use or knew how to use WhatsApp and didn't even understand it's need, it was this storm-like change that pushed even the rural population to start using the app. I remember our housemaid coming back to work after the lockdown, all worried about how her son might have to leave his studies because he does not have WhatsApp, or a device which could support it, and we decided to give her an old spare smartphone we had at our home, this is how even the smallest of the village based schools started teaching their students through WhatsApp and people there actually started getting used to the platform. And not just them but even the most high-rated schools have used WhatsApp to send out notes to their students. WhatsApp came to the rescue for the students throughout.

If I roughly try to recollect, I might have been using it from almost 7 years now, and for even a millennial like me it takes time to get used to a platform, because of how comfortable we have gotten with WhatsApp and consider it actually like our primary messenger.

WhatsApp has been the primary source for a lot many home run businesses to connect with their clients, and not until all their clients decide to disperse to other platforms, the people who earn their livelihood through it will be concerned about privacy.

In the digital era, according to me, privacy is already a myth, when we go about giving the access to our camera, our microphones, our contacts, our gallery to every app we install and use. Isn't the AI too smart already, and was really not waiting for you to accept WhatsApp's new privacy policies? We are living in an age where we are surrounded by so many devices all the time, from Alexa to our smartphones, they already know about us a lot than what we can even imagine. Just try talking about going on a vacation or sharing a link with a friend of the shoes you wish to buy, you'll be greeted by them everywhere you go on the internet henceforth. Isn't Google already mapping our locations and starts notifying us about the place we are at?

Privacy as a concern goes much beyond than just WhatsApp.

As much as I hope all of us do understand the concept and can actually claim that the mass is aware about it, one day, I am sure it's a process that will take years before everyone decides to abandon WhatsApp, because as far as even a minority keeps using it, we all will keep going back to it.