The Dictatorship Of WhatsApp, An Application That Is Both Friend And Foe

WhatsApp has turned into an app with growing influence around the world. It not only far surpassed other messaging services, which were already in a very good position, but also ushered in a new era of social relations through technology. Although in principle this is an important aid in facilitating communications, this application has also shown signs that it is an instrument generating risks at various scales.

According to a study conducted by the Global Web Index, which researches the use of WhatsApp in 34 countries, it is estimated that 40% of Internet users use this messaging system. It has also been learned that its use has been increasing in people between the ages of 16 and 64. The ten countries where WhatsApp is used the most are, in order: South Africa, Malaysia, Mexico, India, Singapore, Spain, Argentina, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates and Brasil.

“Social media without goals is like a rocking chair: lots of movement but no destination.”

-Anonymous-

One of the decisive factors in the success of WhatsApp is the simplicity and functionality with which one can create and manage groups. Although other apps have similar options as well,  WhatsApp has turned group communication into a growing trend. The contact is no longer made with a preference for face to face, but on the contrary everything takes place on a semi-private and collective level.

Is WhatsApp causing problems?

Yes, WhatsApp creates problems but, like in so many other areas of technology, the difficulty lies not in the application itself but in the use of it by some people. There is a worrying trend in humans to increasingly publicize their communications.

Substituting direct contact with others by contact through a device, that is the reality. It started with the telegraph, which emerged as a solution. The telephone then arrived, then the Internet: it ended up exceeding all possible and imaginable limits.

If you are in Lima and need to communicate with someone in Beirut, this type of messaging is a blessing. Without it, it would be impossible to be able to communicate in real time and at low cost as is currently the case.

The problem arises when we use these apps to also communicate with people around us: those with whom we live, study or work. People you could perfectly search for and find so you can talk one-on-one. It gets worse when you gradually stop seeing them and stay focused on your laptop screen.

This is especially true for WhatsApp and its groups: users are feeling the new need to be connected to others all the time. To follow the thread of the conversation to find out what someone said or what another replied. The curious thing is that these conversations are normally staggeringly trivial, but that does not prevent a need to participate in them and not to miss a beat.

What is certain is that the excessive use of these technologies can lead to growing problems with regard to studies, work or personal relationships. Especially when  some people end up using WhatsApp to alleviate or cover up emotional discomfort,  such as loneliness, boredom, anger, anxiety or shyness.

For rational use of WhatsApp

Technologies are not there to be demonized, but to profit from them. These are irreversible transformations that human beings must put at their service instead of transforming them into a new source of slavery. We must therefore give them a rational use and not convert them into a taboo or fetish object.

The first thing to do is find out if using WhatsApp is causing you any problems. The following changes tell you that this is something you no longer have control over:

• You radically change your lifestyle to be able to be connected  as long as possible

• You do little physical activity
• Phone-related health problems  appear (eye fatigue, tendonitis from staying too long in the same position, neck pain, etc.)
• You pay more attention to your WhatsApp contacts than to the people around you
• You are  negligent about obligations in your studies or work, because of the time you spend on WhatsApp
• You go out less and less, lose your friends and feel isolated

If you believe that your use of WhatsApp is more than just pleasure, or if this app is causing you problems, here are the recommended measures so that you do not fall into a dictatorship that could lead you to greater evils:

• Don’t start the day by logging into WhatsApp

• Change your connection habits. Not always at the same time, nor in the same place
• Set an alarm to know when it’s time to put the phone in a corner
• Search and find an activity  that appeals to you. Practice it
• Pick up your friends and hang out with them, in person. Turn off your phone on these occasions