(unpaywalled version on archive.today: https://archive.ph/03cwZ)
Interesting figure that comes out of the article: 87% of US teens prefer iPhones. Also the explanations given aren’t quite surprising, I guess it’s mostly because of iMessage. Teens will feel like outcasts if they get an Android phone while their friends still use iMessage because of the green bubbles.
It’s actually hilarious how we allowed consumerism to take us this far and that we have now peer pressure over smartphones.
“You’re telling me in 2023, you still have a ’Droid? […] You gotta be at least 50 years old.”
ouch 😔
My entire life I’ve been reading news that only iPhones are cool, yet my social circles don’t care and have never said anything like this. I feel like this is a ‘Hello fellow kids’ type of investigative journalism, that is a secret apple ad.
I’m also convinced these are really just paid for by Apple ads. I’ve never seen anyone care about such a thing.
How often are you around teens though? My dad is a high school teacher and his students are always surprised and ask him why he has an Android and not an iPhone.
High school teacher here, and I see this a bit (although I have an iPhone)
I’ve heard this is an American thing. I’m Canadian, and my kids are teenagers and only one friend they have has an iPhone, the rest are on Android (as are all of my friends now, the last one went over to Android last year)
Yes this is definitely a major American thing. There isn’t really anything equivalent to the green bubble shaming outside of America. And I would Hazard a guess that this is also more prevalent in more affluent coastal areas. As well as especially on the West coast. Apple’s back yard.
Most tech “news” is paid by the subject of the said news.
Nah. That’s North America. iPhones in North America have become a status symbol, you have to be available on iMessage, otherwise they’ll contact you by SMS. I know a lot of people in Canada who have no other messaging app (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, etc.). They only communicate via iMessage.
Unless you care about privacy (signal), why even have a second messaging app? I have the phone to make calls and send texts. The default shit works well on iphone and android.
It’s called the network effect. The rest of the world (except China) uses WhatsApp so if you want to communicate with them you use whatever they use.
Just off the top of my head…
- High-quality media (SMS/MMS has low size limits)
- No cost for international messaging
- Works on WiFi without cell reception
- Delivery notifications let you know the message wasn’t lost; read notifications are also an option, but some people turn them off for privacy
- Many have desktop clients so you can type on a real keyboard when you’re at a computer (there are sync solutions for SMS with additional software)
- If you care about mass surveillance (I think you should), several chat apps use strong cryptography
Because SMS is unreliable. On several occasions, SMS messages have either been delayed by hours or simply never reached their destination. Mind you, that’s my experience here in Canada.
My family uses Whatsapp and my work uses GroupMe. If we just text, things get lis5t or come in oit of order.
How do you do fellow consumer
Who the fuck calls Android devices “'Droids” unironically? This couldn’t have been real teenagers. Not ones from the past decade at the very least.
What you are referring to as droids is in fact Android/Linux, or as I’ve recently started calling it, Android+Linux.
…Good one! :)
Who the fuck calls Android devices “'Droids” unironically?
Motorola 👀
Not ones from the past decade at the very least.
guess we can thank TikTok and Snapchat for that?
Psst. Side bar.
I like retro stuff.
Oh my god. I didn’t even see that! Lmao
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I’ve never run into that, but I feel like it’s a good pivotable moment:
"Yeah Bob, this closed source walled garden isn’t playing nice with the group chat… good point, let’s move to Signal where everyone can have a good experience. "
Going from one app (iMessage) to two isn’t an unambiguous win though. All the iPhone users’ experience got worse.
To be clear, this is such minor shit that the real answer is, “ok, I guess we’ll live with it because that’s how we communicate with our friends now”, but it is certainly nicer for them if everyone is on an iPhone and they don’t have to solve that problem.
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Our group moved to a private discord. Solved that problem.
I hope Sup. will take off. That will get a lot more people using the Fediverse in a format they prefer if there’s a FB Messager alternative attached to it.
I’m 36, have had windows mobile pocket PCs thru HTCs and eventually Samsung Galaxies, and have absolutely been shamed several times by different friend groups over the last decade plus lfor not having iMessage. It def ramped up in the later 2010s
Can you expand on your experiences? Was the social pressure constant, or just a comment? Do you think it impacted your relationships with your friends?
I have, in my dating life, gotten lightening charging cables to have around the house.
It’s never fun to have someone ask you for a charger, you saying “Sure, use the fast charger right there”, and not have the lightening cable for their phone. But it’s also a catch-22, if you DO have the cable they need then its “Why do you have this cable, you don’t have a iphone”.
“Why do you have this cable, you don’t have a iphone”
It’s like having some spare toothbrushes and women’s hygiene stuff just in case someone stays over. You’ll score points for being thoughtful, but on the other hand they’ll be like: waaait a minute …
Top iphone tip, heh -
When guests leave little reminders around the house, keep them in labeled zip loc bags, not in a general lost and found bin.
Far less awkward when they ask where their stuff is and you pull out a huge box of jewelry and clothing - “Can you describe your earrings for me?” - never goes down well.
Yeah, much better to go: “What’s your name again? Ah Jessica, let’s see… Jade, Jane, Jasmine… ah right Jessica, here’s your stuff!”
!android@lemmy.world, now also the best place for dating tips.
Personally, I would appreciate the thoughtfulness of it.
“it’s an ex girlfriend’s” is a good ice breaker.
Apple has a great advertisement department. They are great at pumping such news stories.
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“This unbiased and purely informative piece of journalism sponsored by Apple.”
Only in theaters July 21st. 😊
Theater at home early with Apple TV+ Ultra!
No one gives a shit which phone you have.
Also, no one uses the term “droid”.
This article reads like “fellow kids” nonsense.
No one gives a shit which phone you have.
In high school, they absolutely do.
Like, the epitome of the high school experience is social peer pressure about dumb shit.
And this can have a huge effect on the market in 5 years time.
as a high schooler (outside of america) my friends mostly have androids, I’m not saying they are better, just saying that they are more common
I’ll tell you a secret…
All the phones suck. Some more than others.
God, the memories you just unlocked
There was this one guy at school who one day rocked up with his new Windows Phone, that was the cool, new thing then.
When I came up to him and told him he wasn’t going to be the only one with a 4" Amoled screen, he was devastatedMan, we were stupid
I got roasted by a room full of interns for having an android phone last week.
Idk what people use. I had two coworkers from another country ask why I don’t have an iPhone?
Yeah I could not care less. Seems beyond weird to me. Reminds me of the old video game console arguments in elementary school.
It’s always been this way. Some people are just slaves to the brand. “why aren’t you using a MacBook instead of that cheap Windows laptop?”
Because the Windows laptop had better hardware, better support for the apps I want to use right now and potential apps in the future, was cheaper, and is easier to repair or expand if I want to in the future.
“But…but…apple said they’re the best…”
Also, no one uses the term “droid”.
glance at sidebar
🥲
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for those who are out of the loop: https://inv.tux.pizza/watch?v=7nvijQ-L_ms
No, this is real. An iPhone to kids is like a social status symbol and potential family wealth indicator. Of course it’s absolute bull, but just as adults are, kids are horribly manipulated by marketing and advertising too. Kids have glommed onto phones for conspicuous consumption whereas adults glom onto cars and houses for said signals.
Of course not all adults or kids do this, but a great deal do. That’s where the stupid bumper sticker comes from that says, “He who has the most toys at the end wins!” Very ugly stuff, in my opinion. And if there is a devil, that’s where it lives mostly.
I think that is mostly a US thing, as I see way more Androids in Europe than iPhones. But I could be wrong
Yeah, it’s definitely a Yank thing.
Yep. Primary chat protocol is still SMS. The general population hasn’t latched on to WhatsApp or others like many countries have.
I really struggle with switching stuff to WhatsApp just because it’s Facebook. But yeah, every time I go to another country I end up having to download it for something.
fuck whatsapp
Get signal instead
say that to my entire country
Can you try Signal in those cases? If you tell people “I’d rather not use Facebook stuff if possible, can we try Signal” there’s a good chance they either have it installed too or are willing to throw it on.
I’d take SMS over Facebook any day.
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We like to think that but if you want to reach people who are on Whatsapp you’re gonna have to install Whatsapp. And the other way around, if people have a group for whatever (plan a group outing, kids’ soccer team, tenants’ association etc.) on Whatsapp and one person is not on Whatsapp, tough luck buddy, they get left out.
Apple framed it as an “iPhone vs Android” issue for their own reasons but the larger issue (social network peer pressure) is very much a thing in Europe too.
And it’s so outdated too. The iPhone was a “cool” status symbol in like 2010 and 2014. Not so much when everyone has them.
I thought that time period was more a Blackberry thing, and to a lesser extent the Sony Xperia and Galaxy series was taking off
Nah, since 2007 when the iPhone came out everyone had to have one. Then the 2nd model had GPS and apps in 2008 and blew the doors wide open. By 2010 HTC was releasing phones like the incredible and the “droid” moniker was in full swing - with Apple consistently mopping the floor.
I’d say iPhone fervor kind of died down around 2010 actually.
100%, I’ve lived both in the US and Europe, and Androids are definitely more prevalent in Europe than in the US.
Judging by the amount of times I hear the same ringtone as mine, I think where I live in the UK is about 70-80% Samsung Android phones.
I live in Brazil and don’t know many people with iPhones, most have Android phones
Definitely not in Germany, I think. People here are obsessed with apple. But im not native German, so maybe im wrong.
Idk, I see plenty of both, and most people I know are capable of having objective discussions about it.
Objective discussions about why apple is better?
sigh
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I think the most frustrating part is Apple is willfully hampering the ability to intercommunicate between iPhones and Androids and people aren’t like “Oh, fuck them for doing that”, they’re like “Oh, Android sucks.” Like it’s just a wildly successful and incredibly scummy tactic to convince people that Apple devices are superior and people didn’t just fall for it, they’re willfully diving in headfirst.
It’s a shame, really, because I do think they make some pretty good hardware. Might not be my thing, but they make a good phone. That said, I’ll never patronize them because of the bullshit I’ve had to endure trying to communicate with my iPhone-owning family.
Teenagers are well known for their experience and insight
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Teenagers, as a group, are very stupid people.
I am sorry :(
For what? Being a teenager? Nah. I used to be a teenager. I was very stupid.
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87% of americans is not a surprising number…
87% of teens. I’m surprised it’s not a higher number. Have you seen teens? They’re right stupid
Brands have been always important to teenagers.
That’s what he said.
Now you’re getting it
Holy fuck, kids are cringe. I hate this blue bubble elitism so much. Glad it’s not a really a thing in Europe.
This news just in: teenagers can be arseholes to each other.
Back in my day, it was over the brand of sneakers or jeans that you wore.
At least sneakers doesn’t have a bunch of sensors, Internet connection and propietary software loaded, so by going with trend you won’t compromise anything other than money.
They’ll also say they’re too smart to be affected by advertising.
*Why American Teen Hate Android Phones
Also I’m very glad that Lemmy is a lot less US defaultism than Reddit is. It’s pretty tiring having to constantly hear about Democrats vs Republicans, or green bubbles, or Nissan cars bad, you get the point.
I am a teen and I love android becuase it give me freedom I can do whatever I want to do by rooting or installing Custom ROM. Also It’s Privacy Focused(degoogled my Tab + Root). Other Teenager don’t know shit about privacy and FLOSS fuck them I don’t care.
Same boat here, no one else in my school cares about their privacy. They take everything for granted. They only see the surface level of the world around them.
I would never daily drive an iPhone. Or use any of the social medias they use. Or vape, vaping is a big one here in the UK.
I do think you’re a bit too hostile there though, it’s important we voice our concerns and not just lose all hope for them, even if they are hostile towards us.
That fuck them mentality won’t get you anywhere. Your phone is a communications device. You need others to be using free protocols and software, otherwise your phone will be useless.
Apple has better privacy features than Google.
Nobody should trust companies with their privacy, especially when they always get away with lying and their tools are in no way auditable.
I don’t even like IPhones, but aren’t they one of the most private?
Apple only got around to encrypting iCloud data last December.
The FBI dispute happened because the guy in that case was not doing iCloud at all. In that sense they’re private. But if you’ve ever had more than one iOS device or are using iCloud backups they already had access to it.
Thank you for the context!
Using iphones, you have to trust apple, because everything is closed source and no one can audit the code to make sure that apple isn’t being nefarious.
Using AOSP (the open source android project) like CalyxOS or GrapheneOS, you don’t have to trust–you know. All the code is open source and is continuously audited.
The same can be said about Mac’s and Windows (both closed source) compared to Linux (open source).
Privacy is more than just a choice, it’s a conscious effort.
I appreciate you linking your source, fighting for privacy (although good) does not mean they are actually private or even secure.
As it stands today, if you or your information is on the internet, you are vulnerable.
Edit: I forgot to mention, there are way too many tools out there to extract information from Apple/Android devices.
Honestly, I have found teens using iOS to be more tech illiterate. Like they dont know about Piracy, Ad-blockers and stuff. Crazily believe that apple IS privacy friendly and shit like that.
These kids have been ready-made by apple to be corporate friendly. A whole generation that can’t do anything if it isn’t installed by the app store. Think how useful that is for corporations.
Even worse, my iOS-using teenagers know nothing about online privacy at all! Despite me paying for a family account with Bitwarden, they still use the same bloody password on all their accounts.
Waiting for the next credential stuffing attack to breach their Shit Tok account. Maybe then they’ll listen to me…
Big problem with modern software is where you aggrogate diffrent ‘views’ of data without making it clear what your looking at, mom gets confused where her documents run off to when they disappear from ‘recently used’. Dont know how it works and it controls you.
Yup. They dont bat an eye when posting so much info about them on Social Media and scream privacy.
I’m a lifetime android user, but if I was more concerned about privacy I would probably switch to apple. I don’t think google is the one to trust here. Knowing everything about me and using that to make money is Google’s job.
If concerned about privacy you wouldn’t switch to Apple - you’d actually install a custom OS on your Android phone, since you’re allowed to do that on most phones.
Yep - this is the answer. Google may be just as/more untrustworthy than Apple, but at least Android is an open system, where you have the option of going for a privacy friendly OS. Apple is a completely closed system - Hotel California.
Exactly. Why would trust another corporate with your data! Apple blocked 3P trackers at the same time boosted its own Ad networks. They want to control everything about the device, the browser and more.
Not an American and couldn’t care less about the scene there lmao the rest of the world uses Android
