TECH EDUCATION

Advantages and Disadvantages of WhatsApp Messenger

By Philip Yiga | January 30, 2017

Today, WhatsApp has become a very popular instant-messaging application that is being used by almost everyone around the world. In fact, WhatsApp has over 1-billion users today and the reason for it success is that made communication very easy and fast than never before. On the other hand, WhatsApp was initially designed to be used on Android smartphones but it later upgraded became available on different mobile-platforms like windows, iOS, Symbian and Blackberry-OS. So, this helped to increase its popularity all over the world since people with different brands of smartphones could easily download WhatsApp and use for real-time communication. however, at later stage WhatsApp was sold to facebook at a price of US $22 -billion in February, 2014 and this was mainly because it was out-competing facebook and the only for it to stay in business was to acquire WhatsApp. All in all, below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using whatsApp whether at home, work or in the public.

Advantages of WhatsApp:

It’s a free application: one of the biggest advantages of WhatsApp is that it’s free of charge whereby someone just has to download it from a mobile-App store and then make updates in the future which are also cost-free. In fact, you will just need internet-connection and packet-data to download WhatsApp inorder to begin exchanging messages, pictures and videos with your friends. In fact, this is the main reason as to why WhatsApp has became very successful than most chatting-platforms today. All in all, WhatsApp can be accessed and downloaded for free around the world whereby both rich and poor people can use it for communication purposes today.

It’s easy to use because it features a simple interface: WhatsApp actually features a clean and simple interface whereby this makes it very easy to use by most people. In fact, once you have downloaded WhatsApp onto your Smartphone, it will automatically import all the contacts on your phone but it only feature contacts of people using WhatsApp within your contact-list.

WhatsApp gives you the ability to block people you don’t want to chat with: with WhatsApp, you can easily block users that you don’t want to see on your chat or contact-list and this actually helps you to avoid people that you may not want to chat with. In fact, blocking unwanted-users is very easy with WhatsApp because it features a very user-friendly interface that is easy to use or control compared to other chatting-platforms.

It provides users with unlimited conversations daily: with WhatsApp, you can actually have unlimited conversations daily without paying an extra-charge. In fact, you can send unlimited texts, audio-clips, photos, documents, videos and even make unlimited calls while using WhatsApp. All in all, WhatsApp gives you the freedom to chat with anyone you prefer as long as you have an active internet packet-data or Wi-Fi connection and this has greatly improved on the way people communicate today.

WhatsApp facilitates for group-chats: with WhatsApp, you can easily create groups-chats inorder to share information within a group. In fact, you can create a group with your family, friends or workmates inorder to discuss different issues easily. In fact, groups-chats help someone not to mix-up work-related issues with family related issues and this is actually a great thing when it comes to sorting-out your contact-list. however, group-chats can at times be disturbing since you may receive unnecessary messages that don’t concern you whereby this can be annoying if you’re busy doing something else.

WhatsApp facilitates for broadcast messaging: WhatsApp actually facilitates for broadcast messaging by simply using the broadcast list-feature inorder to send messages to several people at once. In fact, broadcast-lists are saved lists of messages that recipients can repeatedly send to other people without having to make a selection each time. In fact, this enables people to distribute information widely without even spending a lot of money like on TV or radio stations.

It provides free voice-calls: WhatsApp recently integrated a voice-calling feature into its system whereby if you have an active mobile-data or Wi-Fi-connection then you can easily carry-out free voice-calls to any WhatsApp-contact in your Smartphone. In fact, WhatsApp voice-calls will enable you to call friends or family easily no-matter their location around the world at a free cost as long as you’re connected to the internet. In fact, this has helped people to easily communicate with anyone around the world without having to pay a lot of money like the in past when people used mails and telephone services.

WhatsApp also introduced a web-version for use on computers: WhatsApp recently introduced a web-version that enables you to run/operate WhatsApp on your laptop or desktop-computer when in office. In fact, the biggest advantage about WhatsApp-web is that it provides you with the comfort to type using a bigger keyboard coupled with a larger view of the computer-display so that you can always achieve an awesome chatting-experience especially when in office. all in all, if you really love chatting when at workplace then you might prefer using the WhatsApp web-version because it enables you to type faster and even provides you with a larger display.

WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption for security purposes: with WhatsApp, security is taken seriously whereby it just integrated an end-to-end encryption feature into its system inorder to make communication more secure. In fact, this feature makes sending and receiving of messages between parties very secure and safe compared to using e-mail-platforms that are usually hacked. So, WhatsApp will work perfectly for you in case you’re a kind of person who loves having private conversations with other people.

It’s easy to download and install: WhatsApp is actually very easy to download and install onto your Smartphone or computer. In fact, if you’re using a Smartphone then you will just have to access the mobile App-store on your phone and then search for WhatsApp. Afterwards you will need to click onto the install-button and WhatsApp will be directly installed onto your Smartphone without even stressing yourself. On the other hand, with WhatsApp web-version you will need to access the WhatsApp-website and then download the WhatsApp-Web App onto your computer, click on the setup and then WhatsApp web-version will be automatically installed onto your computer. However, you should know that both versions of WhatsApp require an internet data-connection to run.

There are no Display-advertisements (Ads) on WhatsApp: the other amazing advantage about using WhatsApp is that it doesn’t feature Ads (advertisements) like most mobile-Apps. In fact, mobile-Apps with Ads allover can be annoying to use and that’s why WhatsApp is still out-competing all of them because it’s clean and easy-to-use yet it’s free of charge.

It helps people save a lot of money on SMS and Voice-calls: with WhatsApp people have been able to save a lot of money that would have been spent on subscribing for SMS-services and voice-call services. In fact, WhatsApp offers free SMS and voice-call services all around the world as long as you’re connected to an active packet-data. In fact, this has greatly helped to improve on the way people communicate around the world today making WhatsApp an added advantage to our communities.

It also offers video-calls: WhatsApp has recently integrated a video-calling feature into its system and this actually helps people to achieve live communication than never before. In fact, these video-calls are offered at a free-cost yet they enable people to connect and talk in real-time no matter their location around the world. This feature actually makes WhatsApp ideal for business-people, family-people and even students.

Disadvantages of WhatsApp:

WhatsApp is addictive: like any other messaging-App and social-media site, WhatsApp is also highly addictive especially amongst young-people like teenagers. In fact, people who love chatting and those who lack self-control will face a problem of WhatsApp-addiction and this can actually waste a lot of your productive time and even affects you’re working-routine or daily-schedule. In fact, WhatsApp-addiction happens to be the biggest problem of using WhatsApp today and the only way to avoid WhatsApp-addiction is by controlling yourself when it comes to using WhatsApp and by managing your time well.

It drains Smartphone batteries easily: although WhatsApp is a mobile-based App, it requires mobile data-connection and internet-services to operate. However, enabling mobile-data will just drain your Smartphone’s battery faster especially if you’re sending and receiving messages constantly when using WhatsApp. In fact, the phone rings and vibrations that happen when communicating on WhatsApp greatly drain your Smartphone-battery. In conclusion, all WhatsApp-services like chatting, voice-calling and video-calling can easily drain your Smartphone-battery in a short period of time.

WhatsApp also faces spam-problems: just like other messaging-Apps, WhatsApp also faces spam-problems whereby if a stranger gets your mobile-number then he/she can easily send unwanted spam-messages onto WhatsApp-chat. Additionally, many WhatsApp-groups share unwanted messages and links whereby these can act as spam-messages at some extent. In fact, too-many spam-messages will harm your Smartphone by simply draining-up its battery and even some spammers may steal your information and use it to send fake information onto your WhatsApp-chat.

Privacy-issues: with WhatsApp, your profile-picture is actually visible to anyone having your contact-number and available on WhatsApp whether you know them or not. This can actually be very dangerous at a certain point because you can be easily spied and this actually affects your privacy in the long-run. On the other hand, WhatsApp automatically saves all the messages and files you send or receive while chatting and this can actually be of great risk especially if you’re loved-one gets access to your phone and reads these messages. In fact, WhatsApp has led to the destruction of several relationships today than never before.

It only works on phones that are packet-data enabled or Wi-Fi enabled: inorder to use WhatsApp, you will need to acquire a Smartphone the can be connected to the internet through packet-data or active Wi-Fi connection. However, smartphones that access the internet are a bit expensive and some people in remote areas of the world may not afford them. On top of that, if your mobile-phone can’t connect to the internet then you won’t be able to use WhatsApp.

WhatsApp works on specific mobile-platforms: WhatsApp was actually designed to be used on specific mobile platforms which include; Android, Windows, Symbian, iOS and Blackberry-OS. So, if your phone doesn’t support any of the operating-systems listed above then you won’t be able to download and install Whatsapp on such a phone. This means that WhatsApp is not compatible with certain mobile-phones and this implies that some people won’t be able to enjoy WhatsApp-services unless they get a better Smartphone.

It requires frequent upgrades which can be disturbing: WhatsApp actually requires frequent updates which can actually be disturbing if you’re not familiar with using technology. In fact, you can easily lose your conversations when making these updates especially if you never selected a back-up option when installing WhatsApp in the first place.

It can easily disrupt employees at the workplace: WhatsApp can easily disrupt employees at the workplace especially if there are people receiving constant messages that make beeps and vibrations all the time thus destructing other people in the same working-environment. On top of that, an employee can easily leave what he/she was doing and then attend to a WhatsApp-message that has just arrived and this highly affects on their productivity-levels at workplace.

It’s not completely free: WhatsApp is actually not completely free because you will have to pay $0.99 for renewal every year and if you don’t pay, then it will be automatically discontinued without notice. However, you will just have to download another WhatsApp-setup inorder to continue enjoying WhatsApp-services but this may give a hard-time to people who are not used to technology.

The WhatsApp web-version is not entirely independent: the desktop-version of WhatsApp is not entirely independent whereby it requires your Smartphone around and connected to internet inorder for the web-version to operate. In fact, the WhatsApp web-version requires scanning a QR-code using your Smartphone and this can actually be hectic and too-technical for some novice-users of WhatsApp.

It can waste time: although WhatsApp is an easy and effective way to communicate with different people, it can actually waste a lot of your time especially if you get addicted to it like other social-media platforms. In fact, WhatsApp requires a lot of time when typing messages and reading incoming-messages whereby this has made many young people today useless and unproductive.

WhatsApp eliminates physical human-interaction: with WhatsApp, people can actually chat or make calls without meeting physically and this has actually made people unsocial today than never before. In fact, today people no-longer interact with their surrounding communities because they spend most of their time using WhatsApp and this has greatly disconnected human-beings from nature.

It doesn’t have a sign-out option: WhatsApp doesn’t actually have a sign-out-option and this actually makes it very vulnerable to use especially for couples which like checking each other’s phones. In fact, this affects someone’s privacy in case another person gets into their WhatsApp-chat and reads whatever they were chatting.

REFERENCE: