WhatsApp is still facing an endless barrage of backlash for its new Terms of Service updates, which have highly upset the social media app's userbase. In a recent poll, a total of 10,200 individuals have provided their opinions on the matter in an attempt at gauging WhatsApp's future.
The poll in question, assigned by Android Police on the 10th of January, 2021, posed a rather simple question, that being whether or not users have stopped using WhatsApp. 5 options were provided to the people at hand, in a simplistic yet effective approach at gauging the app's potential fallout. Users could answer no, declare plans to switch that haven't been realized, yes, that they've never used WhatsApp, and that they switched prior to the debacle at hand. A debacle that, before we discuss the results of this poll, we should probably delve into in the interest of full disclosure.
WhatsApp's recent policy changes, which users are quickly prompted to accept whenever the app is opened, surround user data sharing. Particularly with its parent company Facebook, which itself is no stranger to controversy. While WhatsApp has tried to reassure users that chats will remain end-to-end encrypted and therefore private, the vague description of information sharing, as well as its handing over to the highly distrusted Facebook has WhatsApp's userbase squirming for alternatives. As WhatsApp's users leave the platform, other competition such as Telegram and Signal are receiving a swarm of new individuals. All in all, parent company or not, Facebook's involvement combined with the hyper-awareness of users online are leaving WhatsApp in a sticky place.
But how sticky is it really? Well, if the poll is anything to go off of, the situation isn't dire, but it could be better. Out of over 10K participants, 30% claimed to be a loyal user and said no to moving from WhatsApp. This option, the most popular one on the poll listing, was followed by 29% planning on switching but have yet to take that plunge. 22% of the voting population have left the platform entirely which, while being large number, means that WhatsApp’s userbase has yet to see a large-scale migration from the app. Finally, 13% of the voters claimed to not use WhatsApp, and a small 7% had already switched away from WhatsApp to other prospects.
So, in summation, its seems that WhatsApp might retain a good chunk of its userbase after all. The 29% that are planning on switching might not choose to do so at the end of things, only bolstering the social media app's ranks of loyal users. However, dissent and uncertainty has definitely rooted itself in the community. With 29% considering their options and a 22% having already jumped ship, there have definitely been tremors felt by the Facebook-owned corporation.
The poll in question, assigned by Android Police on the 10th of January, 2021, posed a rather simple question, that being whether or not users have stopped using WhatsApp. 5 options were provided to the people at hand, in a simplistic yet effective approach at gauging the app's potential fallout. Users could answer no, declare plans to switch that haven't been realized, yes, that they've never used WhatsApp, and that they switched prior to the debacle at hand. A debacle that, before we discuss the results of this poll, we should probably delve into in the interest of full disclosure.
WhatsApp's recent policy changes, which users are quickly prompted to accept whenever the app is opened, surround user data sharing. Particularly with its parent company Facebook, which itself is no stranger to controversy. While WhatsApp has tried to reassure users that chats will remain end-to-end encrypted and therefore private, the vague description of information sharing, as well as its handing over to the highly distrusted Facebook has WhatsApp's userbase squirming for alternatives. As WhatsApp's users leave the platform, other competition such as Telegram and Signal are receiving a swarm of new individuals. All in all, parent company or not, Facebook's involvement combined with the hyper-awareness of users online are leaving WhatsApp in a sticky place.
But how sticky is it really? Well, if the poll is anything to go off of, the situation isn't dire, but it could be better. Out of over 10K participants, 30% claimed to be a loyal user and said no to moving from WhatsApp. This option, the most popular one on the poll listing, was followed by 29% planning on switching but have yet to take that plunge. 22% of the voting population have left the platform entirely which, while being large number, means that WhatsApp’s userbase has yet to see a large-scale migration from the app. Finally, 13% of the voters claimed to not use WhatsApp, and a small 7% had already switched away from WhatsApp to other prospects.
So, in summation, its seems that WhatsApp might retain a good chunk of its userbase after all. The 29% that are planning on switching might not choose to do so at the end of things, only bolstering the social media app's ranks of loyal users. However, dissent and uncertainty has definitely rooted itself in the community. With 29% considering their options and a 22% having already jumped ship, there have definitely been tremors felt by the Facebook-owned corporation.
