I meant countries like India, Brazil etc. They heavily use WhatsApp mostly because people are illiterate and poor. People use WhatsApp in Europe but not as much when compared to India.
I am saying if you’re not educated you cannot take educated decisions such as people dont know what’s Facebook capable of. Look at the killings, riot and coup in Myanmar, india etc.That’s just one example but there’s many more.
WhatsApp and Facebook are defaults apps on all the phones so people who don’t know much just start using the app but people who know about collection of data, people being manipulated, fake news will avoid using WhatsApp , Facebook etc.
This contrived correlation you’re trying to establish just doesn’t hold up to the statistics or common sense.
In every country there are individuals who value digital privacy and/or security.
The truth is, these individuals are the minority in virtually every case. The majority of the population, irregardless of overall education or social status, just doesn’t care enough to act upon the compromises necessary for a more private and secure digital life, instead opting for the more convenient way of doing things.
People in general just love having easy access to online services, and oversharing their information, either with Big Tech, or their peers over social media. That’s just human behavior.
Education could perhaps bring consciousness about this issue, but it’s most often the product of an individual concern. And this just can’t be simply related the way you’re insisting here.
There are no digital privacy/security classes in the structured general education on “more developed” countries. At least not contrasting with the lack thereof on the “least developed” countries in a statistically meaningful way.
We’re getting used to seeing the EU having to step in and legislate against or punish corporations on their abuse of customer data, just for that same legislation not to encounter an equivalent on the United States, or other “more developed” countries.
You gave the example of the coup in Mianmar, and the role of social media manipulation though fake news, and so on.
Do you really think people in Mianmar, or India are more manipulated by these apps than, say, people in the UK, Germany, or Switzerland?
Have you ever tried to talk about geopolitical events with the average Joe in Denmark? How about in the USA?
In 2022, 75% of UK Internet users and 80% of Hong Kong internet users used WhatsApp (just do a search for “WhatsApp usage in Hong kong/uk”). Would you call these global financial hubs poor and illiterate countries?
I hate Facebook as much as the average lemmy user (lemming?), but let’s not pretend that everyone makes decisions based on the company’s reputation.
I’m in the UK and have it but literally none of my contacts use it except the local dog daycare that use it to send pictures. So according to stats I ‘use’ it but not really
Facebook messenger is fairly big (almost everyone is on it mainly because they all have Facebook accounts) and I know a lot on Signal (they all moved from Telegram because Russia, which I thought was an overreaction but no choice but to follow).
I don’t think the majority of the populace…anywhere makes app decisions based on morality. WhatsApp is basically nonexistent in USA and Canada (and while Facebook and Instagram are present they are far from omnipresent) but I don’t think it has anything to do with people making informed decisions about the moral issues with tech companies.
I meant countries like India, Brazil etc. They heavily use WhatsApp mostly because people are illiterate and poor. People use WhatsApp in Europe but not as much when compared to India.
Are you saying there’s a relation between the use of Whatsapp and education or economic levels of a country? What are you on about?
I am saying if you’re not educated you cannot take educated decisions such as people dont know what’s Facebook capable of. Look at the killings, riot and coup in Myanmar, india etc.That’s just one example but there’s many more. WhatsApp and Facebook are defaults apps on all the phones so people who don’t know much just start using the app but people who know about collection of data, people being manipulated, fake news will avoid using WhatsApp , Facebook etc.
This contrived correlation you’re trying to establish just doesn’t hold up to the statistics or common sense.
In every country there are individuals who value digital privacy and/or security.
The truth is, these individuals are the minority in virtually every case. The majority of the population, irregardless of overall education or social status, just doesn’t care enough to act upon the compromises necessary for a more private and secure digital life, instead opting for the more convenient way of doing things.
People in general just love having easy access to online services, and oversharing their information, either with Big Tech, or their peers over social media. That’s just human behavior.
Education could perhaps bring consciousness about this issue, but it’s most often the product of an individual concern. And this just can’t be simply related the way you’re insisting here.
There are no digital privacy/security classes in the structured general education on “more developed” countries. At least not contrasting with the lack thereof on the “least developed” countries in a statistically meaningful way.
We’re getting used to seeing the EU having to step in and legislate against or punish corporations on their abuse of customer data, just for that same legislation not to encounter an equivalent on the United States, or other “more developed” countries.
You gave the example of the coup in Mianmar, and the role of social media manipulation though fake news, and so on.
Do you really think people in Mianmar, or India are more manipulated by these apps than, say, people in the UK, Germany, or Switzerland?
Have you ever tried to talk about geopolitical events with the average Joe in Denmark? How about in the USA?
You could have searched for fakenews whatsapp before writing. Here read this
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/21/how-misinformation-whatsapp-led-deathly-mob-lynching-india/
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/dec/06/rohingya-sue-facebook-myanmar-genocide-us-uk-legal-action-social-media-violence
https://time.com/5949210/facebook-misinformation-2020-election-report/
So, are these articles supposed to support your argument? Because they do the exact opposite.
Or have you completely missed the point?
Care to explain?
Nah, you figure it out yourself.
Do u think most people in first world countries know these things?
Most people, Yes
In 2022, 75% of UK Internet users and 80% of Hong Kong internet users used WhatsApp (just do a search for “WhatsApp usage in Hong kong/uk”). Would you call these global financial hubs poor and illiterate countries?
I hate Facebook as much as the average lemmy user (lemming?), but let’s not pretend that everyone makes decisions based on the company’s reputation.
I’m in the UK and have it but literally none of my contacts use it except the local dog daycare that use it to send pictures. So according to stats I ‘use’ it but not really
Facebook messenger is fairly big (almost everyone is on it mainly because they all have Facebook accounts) and I know a lot on Signal (they all moved from Telegram because Russia, which I thought was an overreaction but no choice but to follow).
I’m in the uk and it’s not uncommon to never end up texting people on WhatsApp but in my experience almost everyone I’ve met has it
I don’t think the majority of the populace…anywhere makes app decisions based on morality. WhatsApp is basically nonexistent in USA and Canada (and while Facebook and Instagram are present they are far from omnipresent) but I don’t think it has anything to do with people making informed decisions about the moral issues with tech companies.