TECH

Are you sick of WhatsApp?

The first time I paid more attention to WhatsApp was during a conference in April 2018. In an election panel, I heard from a social media expert that the most important tool in that year's election would be precisely the application invented by Jan Koum and Brian Acton . I confess that I was so impressed with the argument that I created my first group almost immediately. I just didn't do it right away because I was moderating that panel.
I gathered businessmen, friends and journalists and started the game. I never thought it would be such a thorny job. At first, it was just fun. The number of posts and interactions was huge and profitable. But in a short time, discussions and fights came. Bolsonaro supporters versus exemptions. Conservatives versus anti-conservatives. Even a dispute between Republicans and Democrats (which theoretically should have remained on American soil) appeared.

A real headache
After a while, I started to reflect on the dynamics of these digital networks. I quickly came to a conclusion. If you are full of a particular WhastApp group, either one: either you are the administrator or you are a participant who should have already left.
Administrators get tired of this practice more quickly because they see people who are part of their relationship circle, many of whom are close friends, falling out. As much as the let-it-go gang takes action, grievances are created and rivalries arise. Whoever is managing these conflicts feels powerless, frustrated and angry. All at once.
Speaking of which, there are three types of administrators. Those who let the boat ride alone, those who try to mediate between different opinions and those who defend a flag, on the basis of "it’s my way or highway". This, in the end, does not matter much in the final result. Basically, all groups end with a predominance of a current of thought.
As in all social networks, WhatsApp (apart from family, corporate or utilitarian initiatives, such as condominiums and clubs) is the result of the gathering of consensus. There is a fight at the beginning, there is a season of purges and the game goes on - who does not agree with the majority or is expelled or is quiet.
Therefore, those who do not manage the groups and are uncomfortable with the content posted should think carefully: is this your place? Maybe it isn't.
When the groups appeared, it was thought that this would be the perfect vehicle for productive debates and discussions. After all, a topic could be discussed at length, at a pace that is adaptable to the participants' agenda. How many times, for example, did you think a topic was closed until, the next day, someone who missed an earlier discussion resolves to resurrect the topic?
This situation, one of the managers' biggest nightmares, is quite common. And, like a revived ember, it makes the entire fire burn again, resuming the quizumba that had already passed.
The fact, however, is that people are more concerned with finding people who think like them than putting their convictions in check. Add to that other characteristics typical of human groupings, which quickly arise feelings such as envy, intolerance and competitiveness.
As a result, anything is possible. Recently, I saw friendships that were solid to be questioned because of what was discussed in these environments - not least because the written word is not accompanied by the tone of voice that could soften a less polished sentence. In addition, a text is often written in the wake of a bad feeling, which may or may not have to do with the group. Finally, everyone - from the youngest to the oldest - is suffering from an attention deficit. We have difficulty concentrating and we can misinterpret what was written because we read a sentence too quickly.
Another problem is to embrace several groups at the same time. One friend, for example, is involved in more than ten and actively participates in everyone, enlisting supporters to the opinions he defends through private messages. It is a stressful activity, which he performs with ease - but not everyone has this ability. Many are tense and upset by the experience of jumping from one topic to another several times a day.
In closing: don't take this kind of thing too seriously. It is just a group of WhastApp and reaches only a ceiling of 256 people. Rarely initiatives that arise in this type of environment win the real world. We read things that we disagree with and contest them, but we were unable to convince the interlocutors. In this process, we get upset and irritate others. This feeling gives rise to a kind of rejection (or questioning) in relation to the tool. But, let's face it: the WhastApp, in itself, is exceptional. What spoils are some people (who, in other virtual circles, are praised and idolized).
In today's world, there is no way to please everyone. And WhatsApp is a reflection of that. So relax. If you don't like what you read, press the little button “leave” and be happy.

AVnews