If you’ve spent any time at all online recently, you’ll have had a hard time avoiding the news that Facebook has just purchased WhatsApp for $16 billion. On the one hand, this is proof if proof was needed that spending on Wall Street and Silicon Valley has finally spiralled, not only out of control, but out of comprehension. However, as the outrage around this massive acquisition runs its course around the globe, I’ve started to notice something: the majority of the voices crying out in dismay are doing so with a decidedly American twang.

Highlighting the fact that the internet has a decidedly US-centric bias, at least on English language sites, is probably pointing out the blindingly obvious. However, I have been really struck by the outcry that has accompanied Facebook’s latest merger announcement. The merger’s price tag has been compared with, amongst other things, NASA’s annual budget. Twitter seems rife with indignant American users wondering who, if anyone, uses an app that they have either never used or never heard of.

However, WhatsApp has a user base of 450 million folk and is already monitised – after a year’s free usage the app requires a subscription of $0.99 a year – compared to other companies that have recently been in Facebook’s cross-hairs, such as Instagram and Snapchat.

WhatsApp’s founder Jan Koum has gone on record to say that the messaging platform will resist becoming just another Facebook-esque advertising platform. It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for the messaging platform under its new ownership, but for the moment I guess we’ll have Twitter’s confusion to entertain us!

https://www.adweek.com/news/technology/twitter-aghast-about-what-facebook-paid-whatsapp-155829