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Should I Be On Telegram & Discord? What Are The Benefits of Smaller Social Networks

In this day and age, there are many different avenues to chat virtually with people. Before the age of smartphones, online forums with specific niches attracted users worldwide to connect over similar interests. Today, messaging forums can be downloaded instantaneously, ensuring everyone can talk, share, and connect. 

Over the past several years, two applications have gained popularity for their specific usage: Telegram and Discord. Both apps originated as easy instant messengers intending to get more people connected worldwide. Though Telegram and Discord serve almost identical functions, they have a few key distinctions.

What is Discord? 

Though Discord is used as a general messaging apps, its origins were based on connecting gamers. Jason Citron founded the app, who had already started a messaging forum for gamers called OpenFeint in 2009. After selling his company in 2011, he decided to focus on a new app that would continue focusing on the gaming community. 

At its core, Discord is an instant messaging user platform that people use for a myriad of social purposes. People with the app can text message, video call, voice call, and share media and files through private chats or group forums. Discord uses something called servers to facilitate chatting. These are designated chatrooms that multiple people can join through an invitation link. 

Though Discord can be used for frivolous, social communication, it’s the premier messaging app for gamers, especially PC gamers. On the app, different servers are easily identifiable through a search function. These servers host group chats discussing different games and studios and offer a safe place for fans to discuss strategy and create relationships with like-minded folks. 

Other popular Discord servers discuss topics like cryptocurrency, motivational skills, anime, and memes. Users are allowed to create servers without any qualifications, so if there isn’t a group based on an interest you’d like to discuss, you can make one promptly.  

What Makes Discord Different? 

Discord acts similarly to other free communication services, but it has some beneficial distinctions. The app is incredibly versatile, with a wide variety of chat options for users to choose from. Discord also has high-functioning voice chat availability, so gamers can chat on the application while still playing their program.   

Another factor of Discord’s popularity is its public and private servers. Creators can limit who can see certain servers, ensuring that people’s identities or conversations remain private. Within the groups, creators can assign people different roles with responsibilities like moderators or administrators. The app gives the users plenty of control to help them create the best servers for their interests. 

What is Telegram? 

Though Discord is more widely known, Telegram is another free messaging app used more commonly outside the United States. Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov created it to give privacy to users needing to discuss personal matters virtually. The app has over 550 million users worldwide, and its usership often increases when other messaging forums get caught up in privacy scandals.

At its core, Telegram works similarly to Discord and other communication apps. The app hosts group forums, private chats, video calling, and file-sharing functions. The key difference between Telegram and apps like Discord is that the former emphasizes its ability to secure user privacy. 

What Are The Benefits of Downloading Telegram? 

For those who need messaging apps with an emphasis on privacy, Telegram is the go-to software. The company uses end-to-end encryption in order to protect users when they’re communicating with each other. This practice stops outside agents like hackers from seeing what is being said in a private conversation.   

But for those who think Telegram is the most confidential social platform, there is one caveat. The app does not encrypt conversations in public chats; it only encrypts calls and its “secret chat” function. Conversations that aren’t encoded are saved to a cloud, meaning these messages and files are easily accessible from multiple devices. 

Both Telegram and Discord are excellent vehicles for connectedness, sharing, and transnational communication. For privacy concerns, people may want to explore Telegram for safer messaging, but Discord also provides a private environment for exclusively chatting, too.