Somehow I get the feeling you would have attracted less people being nasty if you just did not mention it, though I understand your intent was to get ahead of these people. I think it’s better to join hands with people who are not 100% pure on their tech usage but align in attitudes and goals for what you want the world to look like, than to go “hey have you stopped using this platform, dipshit?” It feels less like actually trying to help and get you off a bad platform, and more like finding an acceptable target for ad hominem attacks. Just because someone has high minded goals to try to stop enabling bad companies does not mean they are immune to wanting someone they can vent anger on and treat badly while not getting pushback for it.

Especially if work forces you on a shit platform, it is harder for most people to get a new job than it is to tell them to use a new platform and actually get listened to instead of being deemed “not a team player” and fired for being a dissident. Sadly people need to eat to live, so taking an ideological stand on avoiding WhatsApp completely is not always possible. Bend the knee or starve, and most people do not want to starve, especially if it seems as small an issue as being one person propping up a bad company by using it. Some people have dependents. People have to pick their battles on what they’ll risk. I get it, I turn my nose up at TikTok and Facebook and find myself feeling worse towards people who are voluntarily there, but I make my stance clear and then try not to bug them. Nobody’s perfect. No ethical consumption under capitalism and all that.