Does the future of instant messaging apps lie in bulk?

The instant messaging space is a tough nut to crack. Add a couple feature and it becomes cluttered and the users become uncomfortable. Remove a feature and the product risks falling behind the pack.

Just ask Mxit, which has gone from being Africa’s largest mobile social network with 27-million registered users in 2010 to dwindling numbers suspected of being less than 1 million. Instant messaging phenomena WhatsApp, on the other side of the spectrum, has achieved international success in just six years after after which it boasted 800 million active users around the globe and got bought out by Facebook for around a total of US$22-billion.