How do I transition my friends from Instagram DMs to Signal as a Gen Z individual in the US?
I just don't see it happening. Shit I have a hard time getting them to use god damn Whatsapp or Telegram (still bad but at least better than Instagram).
They are all iPhone users in the US so as you may expect they are too damn lazy to install another messaging app despite having Instagram Snapchat Tiktok BeReal and whatever shitty social media app that exists on the App Store.
For the love of god don't just say "you need bettee friends" 😂 cause let's be honest finding a privacy conscious person that you also can get along with in the US as Gen Z is practically impossible.
I'm not popular at all, I've got like 4 friends lol. I'm Gen Z too, so not sure why you're implying that I'm not young. If your friends will ostracise you over Signal, you may need new, better friends.
What other option is there? If you can't convince them yourself, it's not like the internet has some magic bullet for making them switch to another app.
The only choice most people have is between being an outcast, and sucking it up and using whatever everyone else is using. Some people are natural trend-setters, most are followers and there are those who want to do things for good reasons rather than copying everyone else. That last group of people have an uphill battle because their lifestyle requires thought and deliberation, which is something most people aren't willing to do, sadly.
Dude this is like something I'd expect to see from /r/intj. Come on. It's not half as dramatic as you make it out to be. If quitting FB and IG kills your social life, you really need to branch out.
I've dragged friends along through multiple platform changes. It took years to get those assholes to let go of Skype... Eventually they all followed, because they're legitimately my friends and they wouldn't let something like downloading an app put an end to our friendship. I make an effort to interact with my friends, and they make an effort to interact with me, that's what being a friend is.
This is kinda what I did. I basically said it will be multiple hours before I respond to SMS/Discord/etc but I will respond within the hour on Telegram/Element