5 Reasons Why I’m Not on WhatsApp, and Why You Should Also Consider a Return to SMS

I’ll admit it. Being off WhatsApp isn’t easy in 2021. I can imagine many readers are wondering how it’s even possible – especially given the fact that so many have experienced the entirity of their human interaction being mediated through a pane of handheld glass since the start of this decade. But for those of you who are curious as to whether it’s possible to live a fully functioning life off WhatsApp – I can assure you it is indeed – and there are some important reasons why it even might be a good idea.

What follows is my list of 5 principled reasons why it’s best to say ‘what’s up?’ anywhere but on WhatsApp:

1. Closed Protocol

My pet hate isn’t something that’s specific to WhatApp, and in many ways is the key contributor to it’s success – but the number 1 problem with so many apps is that they are protocols disguised as platforms.

To explain, think about some other mass communications systems and how they operate. The telephone network has a protocol as its basis; a common standard specification that as long as equipment connected to it complies with – then it will play fair with the rest of the network. In fact, in many cases it’s illegal to connect equipment that doesn’t comply to the standards – and even more so to tamper with equipment that does. For good reason too- our faith that the system will work relies on our faith in the protocol, and it’s held up for a long time. I have a 1970s rotary-dial phone which I use in case of power outages (where we live, that’s a regular thing). Nearly half a century later – and it still works like the day it was new.

Another example is email. You and I likely use very different email providers. In fact, you might even run your own mail server and not reply on a 3rd party to deliver your email. Despite these differences, I can write you an email and have absolute confidence that it’ll be sent (and received) despite the differences between the hardware, operating system, software provider and email platform that you use.

What unites these two examples is that the protocol is what defines the marketplace, and then it’s a level playing field for everyone who signs up for the protocol. The complexity is hidden from the user, the system just works.

WhatsApp (and other end-to-end-encrypted-messaging platforms) suffer from the problem that they are designed on a closed protocol, which – while providing amazing network effects while they scale – are also their achilles heel. I have no ability to connect with WhatsApp users by using a different service (as everything is proprietary).

2. Too Big to Fail

I was invited to a dinner in Westminster once and asked one of the other guests to explain how day-to-date policy advising worked in government. The answer suprised me: “I use WhatsApp as the official channel with ministers, parliamentarians, journalists and other policy wonks; and for keeping track on leaks and ‘public’ gossip, I use Twitter”. When I enquired as to how deep this reliance on two privately owned communications platforms went, I was equally shocked. “What do you mean when you ask what we would do if the systems failed?”, she said, “it’s impossible for WhatsApp to break – it’s just too big!”. Impossible. Hmmm. Just like it would have been impossible to contemplate the disappearance of Lehman Brothers before 2008…

3. Screentime Is Designed to Be Addictive

4. Security is a Sideshow

Quite often the best defence that WhatsApp users give as to why they prefer WhatsApp to other messaging platforms (such as my favourite, SMS) is that there is end-to-end encryption of the messages.

5. Obsolescence Culture