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Who's On WhatsApp, and Why?

Posted by timothy on from the ok-then-you-sell-your-company-for-$16b dept.

theodp writes "In announcing its $16B acquisition of WhatsApp, Facebook confessed it had very little data on WhatsApp's estimated 450 million users. Asked about the user data, Facebook CFO David Ebersman said, 'WhatsApp has good penetration across all demographics but you are not asked your age when you sign up.' Wall Street analysts concerned by Ebersman's answer won't be comforted by GeekWire reporter Taylor Soper's (non-scientific) poll of UW students, which suggested that WhatsApp may not exactly be BMOC (Big Messenger on Campus). 'I don't use it at all,' replied one UW junior. 'I've heard of it but I have so many other things I do online that it would just be another time-consuming thing. I use Facebook or texting to talk to people.' WhatsApp did fare better in a survey of Soper's Facebook network, where responders said they used WhatsApp mostly for communicating internationally and in groups. So, are you or someone you know using WhatsApp, and what's the motivation for doing so?"

5 of 280 comments (clear)

  1. In the Netherlands.. by ellep · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Almost everyone I know that has a smartphone (~80% of the people I know) uses WhatsApp for messaging one-to-one and for groups.

  2. Developing Countries by WoKKiee · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm a South African and most of my friends and family use WhatsApp. In South Africa, as in many other developing countries, SMS text messages are expensive and WhatsApp is used to save costs. BlackBerries are also (still) popular here - free BBM was a main reason for its popularity. WhatsApp's cross-platform capability (iOS, Android, BB and even Symbian) makes is a very attractive option.

    Please see the article below:
    http://mybroadband.co.za/news/...

  3. "won't be comforted" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A few college students in America say they don't use it.

    But so what if _all_ college students in America don't use it? College students in America are Facebook users already; they aren't why Zuckerberg bought WhatsApp.

    There's a big wide world out there, theodp.

  4. Re:I Use it Internationally by bob · · Score: 5, Funny

    You are not an old guy.

  5. Re:my daughter by felipou · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm in Brazil, and yes, my phone company sucks. I have to pay extra for unlimited SMS (and this is recent, a few years ago SMS was absurdly expensive).

    I don't care how cheap it is (around 4 dollars), everyone I know already has WhatsApp and I already have a data plan, so why should I pay more?

    I also used to use iMessage, but everyone I know now uses WhatsApp. Here in Brazil *everyone* uses WhatsApp.

    I don't know exactly why, since everyone already had Facebook when WhatsApp got popular here. I guess, since it presented itself like so, people see WhatsApp more like SMS, and not like IM. If I stay online at Facebook Messenger for 10 minutes, 5 random friends will start talking to me. On the other hand, on WhatsApp I mostly receive group messages, nobody talks directly to me using it.