Please help me make a decision: WhatsApp or no whatsapp

dancingqueen

Mon, Jan 06 2020, 9:47 pm

amother [ Mistyrose ] wrote:

I cannot understand at all how WhatsApp can take your time up. I do not get it. I have shul group, neighbor group, kids classes groups, and my family groups. Its all tachlis 99% of the time. People get annoyed when others use it as shmooze chats. And its just the easiest way of communicating.

Exactly. And you can mute a group if there are too many notifications.

amother

Burgundy

Mon, Jan 06 2020, 10:38 pm

I don't have a smartphone but I have WhatsApp (just essential groups--family etc) on a tablet I keep at home. I check it a few times a day but I'm not constantly on it because it isn't on me constantly. Could something like that work for you?

hesha

Mon, Jan 06 2020, 10:57 pm

Even if you do decide to get WhatsApp, there are ways of restricting it so that you can only access it for a limited amount of hours a day, or a limited amount of launches a day. For iphone you can go to app restrictions (in settings) and for android use the app called app detox. Have somebody else enter a code so that you can’t just override the restricted access easily.

amother

Mauve

Mon, Jan 06 2020, 11:26 pm

Quote:

I've seen whatsapp being used as a semi-phone call where person A sends voice note, person B responds, - for 20 min back and forth, whereas a phone call would take about two minutes. Or a text.

Yes, I HATE voice notes!!! If you want to have an entire conversation with me please pick up the phone and call me!!!
But I can really only think of 2 people I know who use it like that

crystal

Mon, Jan 06 2020, 11:48 pm

amother [ Mistyrose ] wrote:

Like this: I'm on 2 cooking groups, where people post their creative recipes and pictures and ideas then everyone's comments etc, sometimes I can come back after several hours of not checking it and I have 300 messages to read, pictures to download, save the ones I like etc.

I'm also on a Purim group which just got active again after Chanukah ended (insane I know).

I'm also on many chats that speakers created and post a clip or voice note every day.

Oh and what about people that are obsessed with checking people's statuses. BH that doesn't interest me at all.

So basically I'm as busy as I want to be with what's app. The basic use of it for texting is the best, easiest- those are not what makes it time consuming.

Bsimcha

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 3:22 am

As others have said, you can mute groups, not join or leave groups when it suits you. I have all groups muted, I check WhatsApp when I have a chance, sometimes more often and sometimes less.
I have never updated my status or checked any one else's, I don't really care about things like that!
I find WhatsApp more useful than not, family, community, neighbors, friends etc. So many positive uses.

I don't like voice notes, especially as sometimes I'll have time to catch up while waiting in public or even with family members nearby, not that it's usually private, just don't need others hearing.

I find google groups way worse to use!

amother

Saddlebrown

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 4:48 am

amother [ Lawngreen ] wrote:

I actually had it for a few years a then got rid of it over a year ago. Wow!! The amount of time it freed up is amazing! I will bli neder never join again

I did the same. It was so hard at first but it's the best thing I've ever done!! It was actually my husband who hated how busy I got with it. Yes he does have WhatsApp but uses it for work and he's on my family group just for me. I'm the only one who occasionally sends family only pics and videos. He never does. So it helps that I still get to do that. I wouldn't get it if I were you. Yes I got loads of free or cheap things on different free to giveaway groups or car boot sale groups but I buy now if I feel the need.

Rappel

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 5:55 am

I find WhatsApp less distracting than imamother Smile

you don't have to be in any group you don't want to be. You check it 3-4 times a day. I don't allow anyone to send me advertising through a private chat, and it's very useful to keep in contact with my family overseas. To each, his own.

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 6:27 am

I dont really get it. OP, you already have whatsapp, albeit on a different phone, but you have it already. So, just like you only use it with your family, you, being a grown up and all, get to pick and choose what groups you are or are not in and how active you are.
I personally am in a lot of different family/sibling groups but for most of the other groups (community, school, chugim etc) I just mute them all of the time and then when I want to look at them I do. I dont spend hours and hours on whatsapp. I dont actually get how one can. If you make a conscious effort, it just doesnt happen.

Ema of 5

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 7:11 am

watergirl wrote:

I’m with you. I dont understand the pp who say they spend too much time on whatsapp. Its not a web page, how do you spend time on it? Its just another way to send a text. My notifications are off so I’m not bothered by the dinging. A few friends may message me through whatsapp, a family chat, bikur cholim sign up (not a chat), a neighborhood chat and a neighborhood rummage chat... what else is there? I don't join groups of random people for inspiration or whatever. The neighborhood chat isn't a running conversation, its an info hub.

But I’m also the person who does not get the whatsapp status things that people like to complain about. I think its a certain crowd who gets so caught up in these things.

To each their own.

I don’t get it either, and I don’t even know how to make a status! I thought a status was the little tag line that you can put under your name, but apparently I’m wrong :-) My son tried to show me how to do it, but I still don’t get it.

Mama Bear

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 9:58 am

What you do is, you have the same contacts in both phones, which enables you to see which of your friends have whatsapp. message the friends you want to be I ntouch with and tell them, 'this is my whatsapp number, pls let me know when there are chats I should be part of". not a big deal.

Mama Bear

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 10:01 am

amother [ Mauve ] wrote:

Quote:

I've seen whatsapp being used as a semi-phone call where person A sends voice note, person B responds, - for 20 min back and forth, whereas a phone call would take about two minutes. Or a text.

Yes, I HATE voice notes!!! If you want to have an entire conversation with me please pick up the phone and call me!!!
But I can really only think of 2 people I know who use it like that

I LIVE on voice notes. it's my preferred mode of communication. I don't have time or patience for phone calls. I can't always pick up the phone in the middle of whatever I'm doing, and it leaves me pressured to answer immediately. leaving back and forth voice notes gives the other person a chance to reply when they can. We especially do it in our family group, all day long. We dont have time to have conference calls all day.

Ema of 4 wrote:

I update my statuses all day long! It's like my personal instagram. And I put up funnies, comedy clips, etc.... and only my contacts can see it, so it feels safer. I love it. and I love watching others' statuses too.

I love whatsapp Smile

Ema of 5

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 10:21 am

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

I'm with you mama bear 100% about the voice notes! Great for different time zones, great for having an opportunity to think before you answer a question. Voice notes are wonderful.

They’re also great for when you are in the middle of something, or don’t have time to write out a message, but want to say something at that time.
You can do voice notes in regular text too.
I don’t really get the difference between regular text and WhatsApp, but I have it so I can be in the chats.

watergirl

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 10:24 am

Ema of 4 wrote:

Literally not one of my contacts has EVER put up a status. Its just not a thing.

Ema of 5

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 12:12 pm

watergirl wrote:

Literally not one of my contacts has EVER put up a status. Its just not a thing.

I don’t know if my contacts do or not, I don’t know how to check!!

Last edited by Ema of 5 on Tue, Jan 07 2020, 12:35 pm; edited 1 time in total

happyness

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 12:24 pm

amother [ Lawngreen ] wrote:

I actually had it for a few years a then got rid of it over a year ago. Wow!! The amount of time it freed up is amazing! I will bli neder never join again

Same here. I got rid of it because I felt I was busy with nonsense and watching one clip after the next all day.

I don't see anything wrong with whatsapp per se, just it wasted my time...

I did feel I'm losing out on family pics, so we created a groupme chat and so far that's working well. We can see pics and videos too.

amother

Denim

Tue, Jan 07 2020, 5:23 pm

I had whatsapp for many many years but BH last year decided to delete it as a kabbalah. BH my life has been enhanced without it. Its not for everyone, whatsapp does do a lot of good as many other posters are saying, its a means to KIT, to learn, to set up playdates...

But for me, I am happy without it. No one in my life misses out on me not having whatsapp. I just pick up the phone instead. Everything in baby steps!

Best of luck!