Here’s What the WOTC Team Did Whilst WhatsApp, Instagram & Facebook Were Down!
At around 16:45 BST on Monday 4th October, WhatsApp went offline worldwide and with it also went its sister application Instagram, and of course FaceBook, the mother app of both. But as the family of apps went down, what was only a few hours for some felt like a lifetime for others, particularly for WhatsApp and Instagram users whose global community was mostly made up of millennials and Gen Z, posing the question as to whether social media had taken a great deal of precedence in our lives and unhealthily so... With that, here’s what some of the WOTC team got up to whilst WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook were down.
Credit: Shutterstock“I was actually relieved somewhat when Instagram and WhatsApp shutdown, firstly because I thought my WiFi was playing up, but mainly because it made me realise how much time I spend on them. I did however, fill the void with TikTok haha.”
Jennifer, Fashion Editor
“I was refreshing [the app] every 2 minutes!”
Erika, PR Assistant
“I wasn’t going to do university work that night, but it made me uni work because there was nothing else to do. I also went on Snapchat - and I don’t really go on Snapchat.”
Beverley, Culture Editor
“It was actually very peaceful. I didn’t even realise it was down for about an hour, though I was confused as to why the phone wasn’t going off as usual. When it got to midnight, I started to think that Facebook had actually lost their mind. It was peaceful, but it got a little boring.”
Sandra, Tech Editor
"I didn't notice. I was actually watching Squid Game.."
Whitney, Food Editor
“I had a busy clinic in the afternoon so I didn’t realise it was down until the end of the day. Initially, I thought it was an issue with my phone so I restarted it. Then I started cursing the hospital internet, until a friend texted me to ask about a meeting we had planned that evening. Once I knew it wasn’t an issue with me, I loved the fact I didn’t have to check WhatsApp for a while. I spent the evening doing some admin. I think I’d be lying if I said I was miraculously more productive, but it was definitely nice to have a break from WhatsApp groups and Instagram statuses, and to distract myself in other ways. I knew it was working when I received a message about something. It wasn’t something I wanted to devote any attention to if I’m honest, so I carried on as if it was still not working!”
Dr Emma, Senior Health Editor
“So while the infamous trio was having a break yesterday, I took the opportunity to watch “Bride Wars” on Netflix - absolute classic. I then tidied up my room and went to the gym for a well-deserved, glute-focused session.”
Bevery, Fitness Editor
“As the buffering sign paused all my online activity, I retreated and my inner hermit relished in the thought of some new green ticks on my offline checklist. First thing I did was dust of my exercise mat to burn all my weekend calories. I won’t disclose how successful this attempt was, let’s just be happy with the light sweats and workout selfies. I decided I would pamper myself focusing on my basic hair and skin care needs that I’d convinced myself I didn’t have time for. My spontaneous wash day commenced 2 hours into the social media freeze, taking up more time than I expected… I guess I was a little out of practice. My facial turned into more of a combination of some steaming and using a dime-sized serving of almost every product I own, trying to make up for my skin care neglect. I must say my pores were loving it! With my new glow and clean scalp, it was a much needed involuntary pamper day - even if my new waistline is still in buffering mode.”
Uyi, Fashion Editor
“I did check for the first few minutes, then I realised this was the perfect opportunity to get some work done with no distractions. For once, there was nothing happening on my phone. Of course, I also migrated to Twitter, as I always do. I’ve always been a Twitter user and Jack never fails us! I used Twitter to find out what was going on and catch up on other news updates and stories. Once I got into the flow of my internship and other work, I didn’t even remember that WhatsApp was down. I have worked hard to make sure I’m glued to my phone less. I literally only checked Instagram once, putting my phone down more and picking up the pen.”
Sarah, Political Editor
“Because I had a few people I had to communicate with via WhatsApp group chats, I was checking quite frequently. I actually used Twitter a little more yesterday as it was quite good for updates. I also came across a lot of information that I didn’t know about, particularly in regards to the Pandora Papers. So I used my time to read articles, which I wouldn’t usually do and I watched a few episodes of a Netflix show and I caught up on some sleep, which was really nice.”
Talibah, Food Editor
“I was constantly checking my phone (laughs). I realised that I do it so constantly. I knew it wasn’t working but for some reason, I was still looking at it. In the end, I told myself that I needed to take a social media break. It was funny because I had everyone’s number and I could call them and I could iMessage them, but I found myself frozen wondering how I would get in contact with people.”
Krystle, Property Editor
“I don’t really use Facebook much at all, but WhatsApp for me.. it was amazing to have a break. I found myself checking WhatsApp the most. I went to Instagram when I found that WhatsApp wasn’t functioning. I didn’t know what to do with my hands, so I just put my phone down. In conclusion, I mostly spent time thinking.”
Shemaiah, Art Editor
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