In Latin America, WhatsApp came when there was no other multi-platform comm solution yet. There was Viber, and that did attract some users. However, the clarity of VoIP calls was precarious. As someone correctly pointed out, Meta—Facebook at that time—subsidized WhatsApp adoption with local telecoms. You would get XX minutes of WhatsApp in your mobile plan, which was ridiculously cheap in comparison to the prices we pay for voice and SMS. Maybe that's what NA people don't get. Elsewhere, SMS can be extremely expensive, like more than 1 USD each. Imagine how expensive that would be for those people who communicate through single words per message. Nowadays, 99% of people and businesses in Latin America rely on WhatsApp, including public services. Police dispatch cars through it, and emergency services dispatch ambulances through it. I am the one person that I know that does not use it. The consequences are big. For example, I can't order anything online because the days of e-commerce systems are gone. Even if I get an app for food delivery or whatever, there will be a step to confirm the order with the seller via WhatsApp. The furniture store will have an Instagram account, but the only way to reach it if you want to ask for a measurement visit is to send a WhatsApp message. So, how do I live? I have to drive and physically go to the stores that still have a brick-and-mortar presence, stop by, and ask for whichever services I require. When they ask my WhatsApp to confirm the appointment, and I say I don't have it, there's always a pause and the question, "How are we supposed to contact you?" to which I answer, "Call me." They always look at me with oddity, then either express annoyance or realize that phone calls are still possible.