The problem I see with chat protocols is that it's all about network effect.
How do you get people to leave WhatsApp for something better? - You don't. They just stay on WhatsApp.
One problem being that if you want better security (Signal), you lose a little bit in UX. If you want better UX (Telegram), you completely lose the security aspect. So WhatsApp seems like a local optimum: relatively secure, and you can find your friends there.
Then we can discuss all we want about the merits of Discord/Slack/Matrix/Zulip, but the truth remains this: if you ask someone who mostly uses Discord what they want you to use for your new community, they will say Discord. If they mostly use Zulip, they will say Zulip. People don't want the better solution, they want the least effort.
I have seen multiple open source communities (who spend a fair share of their time complaining about how people don't support open source instead of using the proprietary alternative) choosing their chat system: people were fighting between Slack and Discord, nobody gave a damn about using an open source system. How hypocritical...
How do you get people to leave WhatsApp for something better? - You don't. They just stay on WhatsApp.
One problem being that if you want better security (Signal), you lose a little bit in UX. If you want better UX (Telegram), you completely lose the security aspect. So WhatsApp seems like a local optimum: relatively secure, and you can find your friends there.
Then we can discuss all we want about the merits of Discord/Slack/Matrix/Zulip, but the truth remains this: if you ask someone who mostly uses Discord what they want you to use for your new community, they will say Discord. If they mostly use Zulip, they will say Zulip. People don't want the better solution, they want the least effort.
I have seen multiple open source communities (who spend a fair share of their time complaining about how people don't support open source instead of using the proprietary alternative) choosing their chat system: people were fighting between Slack and Discord, nobody gave a damn about using an open source system. How hypocritical...