What Facebook Messenger Really Is

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Facebook messenger has been installed, then uninstalled, twice now. It is dispensable.

Facebook has removed message (email) functionality from its smartphone app. To regain that ability you must install a separate Facebook Messenger app. Its purpose is to elevate
Facebook messages to the level of phone calls, email and texts. No.

There is no way to lessen its grip on your phone. Some annoyances can be turned off, but only for a limited period.

They know how we’re reacting. They know what we’re saying. They can gauge how much we’ll take passively. This is all measured.

In 2014, this is what a price increase looks like. They do charge to use the service. We pay by entrusting our most personal thoughts to them. Now they want more.

The unspoken bargain is they never use it to hurt us… but who knows?

3 thoughts on “What Facebook Messenger Really Is”

  1. What’s interesting is that the message component of the Facebook app seems to be time-based. If you go into Android app settings and clear the data of the Facebook app, and then log back in, messages works again – for a little while. You’ll get the reminders to install Messenger, and after some amount of time (a few days?) it will become unavailable again.

    I write Facebook messages infrequently and it bothers me that I cannot continue to use it without Messenger. I have yet to install it for a first time.

  2. How does Facebook know any more about our content with Messenger than they do with the message functionality of the website (which is still available for use by simply going to the full site on your browser)?

    My only problem with Messenger remains its obtrusiveness, and the inability to set access. If I don’t want friends of friends sending me messages via my phone, I have to block them from sending on Facebook as well, which kind of sucks. On Facebook they discretely get placed in the “other” messages list, but on Messenger they scream for attention.

  3. A few weeks ago, in response to this Messenger crap, I uninstalled the FB app from my phone completely and replaced it with a hyperlink to the mobile site on my phone. Immediately the battery life on my phone improved by a factor of 10, and I still have the original messaging functionality. Win! I recommend this move to everyone.

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