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    The power of data: Forget Twitter, the party’s moved to WhatsApp

    As Australians lose interest in sharing their opinions on social platforms, they are instead jumping into group chats. From AFR Magazine’s Power issue.

    Mark Di StefanoColumnist
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    After Pat Cummins was appointed Test captain, then-prime minister Scott Morrison added him to a WhatsApp chat group. Coach Justin Langer was the third member of the group, which was labelled – presumably by the PM – “Legends”.

    The episode, which came to light in a cricket documentary released this year, highlighted how group chats have reshaped the way Australians connect. People are increasingly sending messages and emojis on Meta’s WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage to closed groups of friends and peers or, in the former PM’s case, sports stars. And they’re spending less time on social media.

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    Mark Di Stefano
    Mark Di StefanoColumnistMark Di Stefano is Rear Window columnist, based in the Sydney newsroom. He previously worked at BuzzFeed, the Financial Times and The Information before joining the Financial Review as a media and tech correspondent. Connect with Mark on Twitter. Email Mark at mark.distefano@afr.com

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