WhatsApp Groups Have Taken Over

With hundreds of millions of daily user, WhatsApp is now one of the most popular mobile applications on the planet. So much so, that when picking up a girl, if she asks you “Do you use WhatsApp?” you know you are totally in there. WhatsApp has a very useful feature which allows you to form groups. These chat groups allow you to share media and information to multiple persons at once.

WhatsApp Logo

It is very easy to create a WhatsApp group. All you have to do is open the app, click the three vertically arranged dots at the upper right, select “New Group”, type the names of the persons you want in your group (based on WhatsApp users in your contact list), create a group name and chat away.

So I was in a taxi the other day and I was puzzled at the driver’s attachment to his phone. He kept on listening to audio recordings and talking into the phone. When I enter a taxi it is always my intention to exit in one piece, so with a stern voice I said “Yow driva weh you a do! Watch di road!”. The car swayed a little as he was startled at the deep voice of the beast of a man who addressed him. All eyes were on the road hence forth. I later found out that he was conversing in a WhatsApp group created by the taxi drivers to provide each other with updates such as the location of the transport authority, blocked roads etc.

But WhatsApp groups are not only confined to the law breaking drivers of the Jamaican streets, a WhatsApp group is now the default choice for a group of individuals who need to communicate with each other. I am apart of about 10 groups now, and they are very active.

But while it is a very easy way to broadcast information, there is a severe disadvantage. We are becoming numb to these groups! Often times I would wake up to 400 messages and naturally most likely to ignore them. Thus, important information could be missed. I ignore messages at times because when there is a group of persons communicating in a group, the bulk of the conversation is “idle talk” and it can be very hard to keep up with everything.

While WhatsApp groups have their disadvantages, it is currently the most convenient and affordable way for multiple persons to communicate simultaneously. It is perfect if used in moderation, but you don’t need to create a group for EVERYTHING.

-Aldeam Facey 2015