Since its launch in 2009, WhatsApp has grown to become a loved messaging app by millions of users worldwide. Now though, the world’s media are turning to WhatsApp to deliver news, in what some could consider a drastic modernisation of how we read the news.
Reading the news can be difficult to squeeze into a busy day, but you probably didn’t know that all you need to do is download WhatsApp for PC to read your news on the go.
The first major news outlet to adopt WhatsApp as a method for delivering the news was the New York Times, who trialled sending news via WhatsApp messages earlier this year during The Pope’s Latin America trip. Users who put their phone number into the New York Times’ website or sent a short text to the paper’s WhatsApp number would receive shortened versions of articles through a text message.
It would obviously be impossible to squeeze an entire article into a WhatsApp message, but New York Times have promised to update subscribers with short news bulletins, images and quotes through a series of messages throughout the day. Each “short story” would then include a link to the main article on the New York Times, where readers could continue reading the story, if they were interested.
The idea of delivering news conveniently and directly to your WhatsApp inbox is quite ground-breaking and one, we can imagine other major news outlets stepping into the fold on. Several media outlets in the US and UK have also been trailing a similar service.
It’s also worth noting that many news outlets are now also using WhatsApp as a way of receiving comments from readers, given the service’s popularity and free functionality. WhatsApp is providing a perfect platform for communicating the news to the masses and it’s sure to grow even further than that.
With many major news outlets now adopting WhatsApp as a way to communicate with readers, WhatsApp is growing one step closer to complete domination. If you haven’t already, it’s time to download WhatsApp for PC.