Instant Messenger on Facebook: Pros and Cons
What’s the Deal with Facebook Messenger App?
The Facebook mobile app gives you access to your timeline through an icon on your phone. Facebook Messenger app is a supplement app that allows you to send and receive messages via Facebook.
If you don’t have Facebook Messenger installed on your mobile phone, you will get a notification of a new message via Facebook (the red notification icon will appear over the message bubble), but you won’t be able to open, respond to or view the message without the Facebook Messenger app.
So, should you download Facebook Messenger?
Pros of Facebook Messenger
The main benefit of Facebook Messenger is the ease of which you can send and receive messages with contacts (much like regular cell phone texting). Other pros of downloading Facebook Messenger include:
- Speed. You can send and receive messages more quickly via the app than if you needed to load the mobile browser.
- Similarity to texting. The style of sending a message via Facebook Messenger is similar to sending a text message on your mobile phone. However, it’s free. For people with mobile phones that charge for texting, this is a valuable feature.
- Sharing. You can quickly share files, images and links.
- Easy phone calls. The app’s audio connects you to either another individual or a group. This feature is especially handy for those calling loved ones outside of the United States.
Cons of Facebook Messenger
The main drawback of Facebook Messenger is the lack of privacy. By downloading the app, you agree to allow Facebook access to any and all audio recordings. Other drawbacks include:
- Privacy. The terms and conditions include recording audio at any time. For many, this is a major privacy breach.
- It’s intrusive. Because the app is so similar to texting, it can be a distraction. Constant message notifications can keep you from working on more important matters.
- Battery sucks. When activated, Facebook Messenger is always running in the background, which means it pulls from your battery life.
- No easy alternative. If you use the Facebook mobile app, you are required to use Facebook Messenger to send messages via Facebook. This means you cannot read messages within the app if you have not installed Facebook Messenger. You will get the notification that you’ve received a message, but you won’t be able to read it on your mobile phone.
- Storage. The Facebook app and Facebook Messenger use a combined 100+ MB of storage space on your mobile device.
The Bottom Line
If privacy is your main concern, you should look at the fine print of other apps on your phone. The Washington Post revealed that the information Facebook Messenger requests is no different than that requested by popular apps like WeatherBug, RunKeeper and the popular Kim Kardashian game.
If you rely on Facebook as a means to connect with others via text, Facebook Messenger is likely critical to maintaining your personal or business life. In this case, downloading Facebook Messenger will be the most convenient option.
Additional Resources
- Facebook Chat Now Available Everywhere, by Matt Hicks
- Messenger, by play.google.com
- Advantages of Facebook Messenger for Mobile, by news.toggle.com
- Facebook Messenger App: Good or Bad, by cyber-construction.com
- Facebook Messenger for iPhone, by pcmag.com
- 5 Reasons You Don’t Need Facebook Messenger, by informationweek.com
- 5 Myths About Facebook’s Messenger App, by Associated Press
- Is Facebook’s New Messenger App an Invasion of Privacy, by Jodi Phillips, Web Editor
- What Is the Messenger App and Why Am I Being Asked to Install It, by facebook.com
- How to Use Facebook Messenger for Your Business, by socialmediaexaminer.com
Videos
- Delete Facebook Messenger Before It’s Too Late, by Viral Tap
- How to Uninstall Facebook Messenger, by Andrew Head
- iPhone 6 Instant Messaging, by ShoreTel
- How to Use Facebook Messenger, by Rudy Uribes
Education
- Facebook Messenger Gets a T-Rex Chatbot for Kids, by Stuart Dredge
- What Parents Need to Know, by commonsensemedia.org
- Classes-Messenger for Education, by betalist.com
- Facebook Steps up to the Chalkboard With Education Initiative, by bizjournals.com
Books
- Facebook Messenger, What You Need to Know, by Martin Perry
- Facebook Messenger, by Facebook
- Essential Facebook Development, by John J. Maver and Cappy Popp
- Facebook for Dummies, by Carolyn Abram
Apps
- Messenger, by Facebook, Inc., available on iTunes for free