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Oct 27, 2017

10/27/2017: Could Facebook Messenger be all things to all people?

Think about all the apps you use in a day: Amazon, Facebook, Gmail, maybe Lyft or Uber. In China, some of those apps are banned. But it’s possible to use one app — WeChat — to do lots of things, like sending messages and ordering taxis. Facebook Messenger is trying to take on the same role in the U.S. Jennifer Pak, Marketplace’s new China correspondent, gives us the lowdown on WeChat and talks about why there’s no equivalent in the U.S. … yet. 

WeChat Shake function for finding new friends. Image from North China taken as part of UCL Social Networking Sites & Social Science Research Project.
WeChat Shake function for finding new friends. Image from North China taken as part of UCL Social Networking Sites & Social Science Research Project.
Tom McDonald / Creative Commons

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Think about all the apps you use in a day: Amazon, Facebook, Gmail, maybe Lyft or Uber. In China, some of those apps are banned. But it’s possible to use one app — WeChat — to do lots of things, like sending messages and ordering taxis. Facebook Messenger is trying to take on the same role in the U.S. Jennifer Pak, Marketplace’s new China correspondent, gives us the lowdown on WeChat and talks about why there’s no equivalent in the U.S. … yet.