# Three ideas about text messages DevFeed: [Three ideas about text messages]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2016-05-07T18:42:15Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Antirez]() Topics: [Messaging](), [Internet]() Tags: [blog-post](), [messaging](), [thoughts](), [whatsapp]() ## AI overview The author reflects on the importance and distraction of text messaging, focusing on how WhatsApp has become a standard for communication in Italy and much of Europe through widespread use of group chats. ## Source excerpt I'm aboard of a flight bringing me to San Francisco. Eventually I purchased the slowest internet connection of my life (well at least for a good reason), but for several hours I was without internet, as usually when I fly. I don't mind staying disconnected for some time usually. It's a good time to focus, write some code, or a blog post like this one. However when I'm disconnected, what makes the most difference is not Facebook or Twitter or Github, but the lack of text messages. At this point text messages are a fundamental thing in my life. They are also probably the main source of distraction. I use messages to talk with my family, even just to communicate between different floors. I use messages with friends to organize dinners and vacations. I even use messages with the plumber or the doctor. Clearly messages are not going to go away. They need to get better, so I usually tend to thing at topics related to messaging applications. The following are three recurrent thoughts I've about this topic. 1. WhatsApp is not used in the US. Do you know what's the social network that is reshaping the most the way we communicate in Europe? Is the WhatsApp application. Since it is the total standard and an incredible amount of the population has it, "WhatsApp Groups" is changing the way people communicate. There is a group for each school class, one for the children and one for the parents. One for families, another for groups of friends. One for the kindergarten of my daughter, where teachers post from time to time pictures of our children doing activities. WhatsApp is also one of the main pains of modern life. All this groups continuously beep. However what they are doing for the society is incredible: they are truly making every human being interconnected. This magic is possible because here in Italy, and in most other EU countries, WhatsApp is *the standard* so everybody assumes you use it. To me it is pretty incredible that this is not happening in the US, the place wher