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Why is it so hard to get friends to leave Discord, WhatsApp, Instagram, and others? Anyone else feel this? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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I’ve been seeing this more and more in comments, and it’s got me wondering just how big this issue really is. A lot of people feel trapped in apps like Discord, WhatsApp, and Instagram, but can’t get their friends to leave.

It’s really annoying when you suggest trying something new, whether it’s a different app or just not using these platforms so much but sometimes it can feel like no one wants to go first.

So I’m curious, what apps do you feel most trapped in? And have you tried convincing your friends to leave them? What happened? Is it an issue for you, or are you just going along with the flow?

Looking forward to hearing if this is as common as it feels!

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[–] 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm personally trapped on Discord and Instagram.

Discord is required by my workplace, so no way of getting rid of it until everyone decides to move to something better. I have some friends on it too, but most of them also made Matrix accounts when I explained I won't be very reachable on Discord (I only open it when necessary; and it doesn'r run on my phone since they rewrote the app in JS). I have Instagram as a way to people I meet during travel or events to "add me" easily, and then we can figure out a good way to communicate afterward. I'm not too bothered by having it as I don't use it daily or anything.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    You could at least move to Pixelfed.

    I doubt your instagram following is enough to make a difference from what you'd get on Pixelfed.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    It seems I didn't communicate my reason for having Instagram well enough. I don't have access to the "feed" or following people (it won't load unless I accept some terms, which I won't). I have an account with the messaging function bridged to my Matrix account, which lets me receive messages and (when it works) reply to them to organize moving to a better platform.

    It's the best solution I found if I want to keep contact with people I meet when going out or traveling. Phone numbers barely work (I still can't call or message any German numbers, never found out why), and everyone I meet has Instagram. I just give them my username, they can add me easily, and then later over Instagram direct messages we figure out how to get them signed up for Matrix or Signal.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    Many people probably follow artists on them that will never move to pixelfed so they stay here.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Good point. The "follower" mentality is still a foreign concept to me.

    I don't think I'll ever be able to wrap my head around what goes through the average instagram user's mind. I forget that a lot of them are eager to follow instead of lead.

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