Six degrees of 'WhatsApp'ing



In this day and age of some instant messaging Apps can surely be found on almost all mobile devices. People have adapted to using one or more apps like WhatsApp, GroupMe, Viber, WeChat or Snapchat, etc.

WhatsApp is an instant messaging leader claiming usage in 109 countries (over 55% of the world).  It is definitely the most popular instant messaging App in India.  It makes for an easy way to connect with people as it allows for text, group, and video chats.  It also allows for easy forwarding of messages to various people and groups.

Which brings me to the topic of this blog... WhatsApp forwards.

It was November 8th, 2016.  Namo (the prime minister of India) had just demonetized Indian currency for the 500 and 1000 notes.  This by itself was newsworthy but what surprised me were the abundance of memes that started making their way quickly into our social spheres starting from pictures that showed the 500 rupee note as toilet paper or the 1000 rupee note as a peanut snack cone.  Even more astonishing was the fact that I’d get the meme from a particular group, and then get the same meme from a different group of unconnected people!  I’d be tempted to ask if the senders knew each other perhaps, and then came to the “6 degrees of WhatsApp” conclusion.

I believe everyone I know is connected to everyone else I know within 6 degrees (or people - the degrees is a reference to the Kevin Bacon game).  For instance, my cousin is a Sai devotee and is sure to belong to some groups related to Sai bhaktas (different regions).  My school friends are probably friends with one of the bhaktas in those groups.  My colleagues are also part of a friend of a friend or a friend etc.  So a forward from one of those groups can easily reach my cousin as well as my friend or my colleague who then forward the same message to the groups I have with them!

The penchant to forward messages (especially memes) is amazing.  There is so much data passed around that I’m astonished the internet waves haven’t given up.  The fact that these apps make it so easy to forward messages is unfortunate.  Thanks to recent improvements however, we are able to see that these messages are indeed forwarded.  People love to share information, and this is a great avenue to do just that.

My word of caution to people that like to forward messages - please check the veracity of the content prior to forwarding.  There are several sites that will easily dispel any “alternative facts”.  So it is a matter of typing a few words into a search engine.

Thank you for reading.

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