A letter from my pen pal in the mailbox, the year was 1989. Got my first e-mail in 1995. SMS Baby, get with it, its 2003 for Christ’s sake!! My sister used to say, and I did (…to the limits of obsession I’ll say!) With my insatiable need to stay connected, messaging had always been an integral part of my life, I guess. Then in the year 2010, I was introduced to a wondrous app called Whatsapp, a free messenger service that augmented my messaging obsession further and trust me, it was good… so good that for the first time in my life it was an app which prompted me to buy a smartphone, instead of it being the other way round! Short Messaging Service (SMS) has seamlessly blended into the picture of becoming a necessity for me, participating with me in all kinds of situations; a medium through which I could voice my opinion, a vent for my fluctuating mood spells. Come to think of it, the last few years which I have spent in communicating with people (be it colleagues or my family) the SMS way (..or to be fair in the Whatsapp manner) and steering everything else simultaneously (due to its sheer expediency), have been the most prolific. Though, I do admit that there is a sense of regret, I don’t have a yen for that perfect blue ink pen and the smooth textured letter pads any more, you see. WhatsApp has indeed revolutionized the way we communicate. No wonder, it still continues to be one of the hottest selling apps till date. Reason, it’s cheap (if you are an I phone user, free if you’re on android!), it’s fast and it gives you a plethora of options to socialize such as, group chatting, on the spot sharing (whether it be your favorite picture, a video of your recent travel expedition, a romantic audio note to your beloved or your current GPS location, you can share it all in a jiffy..!). It even has the option to delete or retrieve earlier messages (chat history). Akin to the most popular socializing platform Facebook, this little messaging wonder even allows you to change your status from time to time so that the world can know what you are up to. The best part is that Whatsapp has the capability to integrate with any smart phone seamlessly which, simply put, means hassle free logging in. As soon as you download the app, it automatically syncs with the contacts in your phone and you can start chatting instantly. And just in case you are wondering, that with so many features this messaging monster would surely be eating away into your phone’s battery life, then you are mistaken. Whatspp goes to sleep when not in use and then springs to life only by an incoming message. What I’ve always enjoyed about this app is the way a message jumps up automatically on my phone’s home screen and I don’t really have to go rummaging through my inbox. So, with whatsapp the whole messaging experience becomes a sheer delight. But personally, I feel that it isn’t just the compatibility, the neat features or even the user interface which make Whatsapp click, it is …the concept. The concept of having a platform wherein you can remain connected, constantly. Where you can always be in the company of friends, where you can share your joy, where you can be unique yet be part of a group and still have the option to be discreet, all at the same time. Whatsapp is all that and more… it is social networking at its best.
