After
Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $16 billion, many began thinking about what
could be Facebook’s motive apart from the obvious fact that WhatsApp is a
rapidly growing company and the effect it would have on social media and
internet messaging.
Facebook Messenger may not survive
This
acquisition will obviously see Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp continue its
competition with WhatsApp despite now being under the umbrella of the same
company. The fact that Facebook bought WhatsApp could spark the insinuation
that Facebook didn’t believe in its messenger service.
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| Image: Techcrunch |
It would have
been predicted that some features of Facebook Messenger could be incorporated
into WhatsApp but Facebook has clearly stated that it will not tamper with
WhatsApp’s mode of service to its numerous customers.
Would
Facebook stop its Facebook Messenger service or will it die a natural death?
Only time will tell.
Facebook may become better
Although
Facebook has indicated it will not tamper with WhatsApp services, one thing is
sure, Facebook will gather lots of useful data from WhatsApp users.
These data
will range from phone numbers to secret desires people have and communicate in
chats. It is easier for people to divulge their personal secrets to people on
personal chats than on Facebook.
This only
means that Facebook will know more about people’s secret behaviours and
desires. This could help Facebook to add new features to the mega sites that
would attract new users and keep the existing users on Facebook for a larger
amount of time.
Facebook would be very very powerful
Like some
will say, information is power and now Facebook has lots of it. Facebook also
has money. Facebook will have so much information from Facebook and WhatsApp
that it will be able to predict new trends faster than many other
organizations.
With the
notion that nothing is impossible, I won’t be surprised if Facebook invests in
a company that is not related to social media in the nearest future. If
Facebook ever take such an action, do not rush to criticize, because it
obviously has more power than you.
Privacy
Facebook may
have to assure users that their personal information will not be at the mercy
of spies or other unlawful users. People take their privacy seriously; this was
very evident by the attention generated by revelations of former NSA outcast
Edward Snowden.
Any suspicion
or evident of selling or sharing of user data by Facebook could make people
loose trust in the messaging app.
Many
developments would occur in days and months to come, you can catch up with all
of them here.
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What does Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp mean for social media and messaging?