Signal: The App No One's Heard Of (Week 9)

    I can't be the only one who has never heard of a little app known as Signal before right?  Well if you are like me, then prior to reading this blog, you probably don't know that Signal is actually a private messaging app, similar to that of other messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp, and even built in messagers like that of Instagram's and Snapchat.  It mimics these messgaing apps in the sense that it has the ability to send images, videos, gifs, voice messages, and normal text messages.  Signal also allows one to make calls, audio and video, just like the other messaging apps can as well.

 

    If you are wondering what I personally think of this newfound messenger, well the answer is simple, I think it's boring and unneccessary.  Now when I say that, I don't mean to say that the app itslef is poorly made or has no need to exist at all in the slightest.  When I say that Signal is boring in a way, it's that it's not connected to any major social media like other messaging apps tend to be.  Like with Facebook and Instagram, their messenger systems are connected directly to an endless library of posts from users that I can instantly share to someone and enjoy with another on the app or site in an instant. So the only reason at all I'm going on signal for me, is the same reason I go to check my phones built in messaging system, to see what my mom is asking me to feed my nephew when she's at work.

    Speaking about the unneccesary aspect of signal, this calls to reference the fact that other messaging apps I have already do the same thing.  Signal simply mimics the other very popular messaging apps that already exist and that most people already have, so to many, downloading and using the app is probably extremely unneccesary.  The best way to really view Signal is simply as an alternative.  If you aren't interested in the cool dynamic themes and colors that Facebook and Instagram provide, or being connected to any major social media platform, then well I suppose Signal might be for you.  Then again, you might also prefer Whatsapp since that is probably the closest comparison to Signal in terms of features and how it operates altogether, and that's very well known already.  Overall, it isn't that Signal is a bad messaging app in the slightest, it's the fact that the social app market itself can be quite difficult to get into since the existing social media apps and messengers already handle all the basic needs that Signal provides.  I personally, won't be using Signal unless maybe a class or job requires it's use, but who knows, maybe for you, you might have found your new favorite messenger.