WhatsApp is a messaging application that allows you to communicate with other users. You can send messages, share content from the web, and even create videos. Unlike social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, however, WhatsApp does not let you share your entire identity online. In other social media applications, you can reveal things like your name, age, gender, education, and even your favorite hobby. In WhatsApp, however, you are limited to sharing your name. Other details can be chosen through messaging.
Although Facebook and Twitter have become popular, WhatsApp has stayed away from these practices. Although it enables people to share information, users cannot share their identity, which makes Facebook and Twitter less safe for privacy. WhatsApp groups, on the other hand, allow people to share only their names. It is also much harder to get invited to a WhatsApp group than it is to apply for a Facebook invitation. However, the app does enable users to share their status with other WhatsApp users, which makes it a social media platform.
Facebook has already made plans to monetize WhatsApp. They attempted to charge $0.99 per year for access to their private messages, but were unable to get the approval to do so. Instead, Facebook is testing business communication tools. For now, though, WhatsApp remains a free app. Users cannot sell their chat log content. So, the company may struggle to monetize the service. But WhatsApp’s success speaks volumes for the potential of an app store in the US.
