The way we communicate is changing. Nowhere is this more starkly shown than in the rise of instant messaging platforms, which have seen exponential growth in recent years.
Picking up the phone to talk to someone is becoming increasingly rare, as more and more people use instant messaging apps to chat and share content. Phone contracts used to be all about the number of free minutes on offer – now, it’s all about the data.
While older generations may still pick up the phone, it’s becoming an old fashioned habit to have. It must seem baffling to the uninitiated, with so many different messaging platforms and apps to choose from and many people using a variety to stay in touch with discrete groups of friends, colleagues and family.
Messaging apps: So many to choose from.
Not so long ago, it seemed as though WhatsApp held an unassailable position as most people’s messaging app of choice, at least here in the West. It’s still the most popular instant messaging platform globally, with two billion active monthly users, but its dominance is being challenged by the rise of several alternative platforms.
When discussing instant messaging, it’s not long before the F word comes up. Since acquiring WhatsApp in 2014 for an astonishing $19 billion, Facebook (now Meta) has become the biggest player in the space, with WhatsApp’s two billion users under its umbrella, as well as the 1.3 billion users of Facebook Messenger. As a result, these two platforms occupy the top two spots in the rankings, making Meta the dominant force in modern communications.
Yet, for all its power, Meta is largely the underlying reason behind the emergence of rival messaging apps in recent years. Meta makes money by harvesting and selling the data it gleans from its users, which advertisers prize. As the world steadily wakes up to the implications of this business model, many people are looking for ways to keep their personal data out of Zuck’s grubby paws, regardless of what he’s calling the company he runs.
The Zuck: coming for your data, whether you like it or not.
This disquiet over the exposure of user data to Facebook increased significantly in January 2021, when it was announced that WhatsApp would be implementing a new privacy policy, which would eventually have to be accepted by users who wanted to keep using the platform. This would involve WhatsApp sharing user data with Facebook – a move that was understandably not well received by many.
The original deadline for accepting these new terms was February 8th 2021. However, this was later pushed back by over three months to May 15th. Although chats will still be secured with end-to-end encryption (meaning not even Facebook can read them), the company can still collect metadata from users that will give it the ability to target advertising more efficiently. It should be noted that this change will not affect users in the UK and EU. They enjoy the benefits of much stricter data protection laws than elsewhere in the world.
The EU: leading the way on data protection.
In the wake of this announcement, interest in alternatives to WhatsApp surged, and statistics showed that, in January 2021, Telegram became the most downloaded app across the world. The anti-Facebook resistance was starting to gain ground.
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Let’s Talk Telegram
This deluge of new users pushed Telegram past the 500 million active monthly users mark, confirming its status as one of the primary alternatives to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Since its release in 2013, it has been steadily increasing in popularity, but the announcement from WhatsApp and Facebook helped supercharge user numbers.
It should be noted that two other massive messaging platforms have a combined total of nearly two billion users. These are WeChat and QQ, both developed by China’s Tencent corporation and thus primarily confined to the Chinese market. Although worthy of mention, they cannot be said to have the global reach of WhatsApp or Telegram.
Another successful Telegram download.
Telegram was founded by brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, who were initially based in Russia. They left the country in 2014, citing difficulties with the Putin regime. Telegram now operates from Dubai, though it has offices in several other countries and is legally domiciled in London.
The brothers had previously developed VK (VKontakte), Russia’s hugely popular equivalent to Facebook. The platform’s success attracted the interest of powerful investors, many with links to Putin and his government.
After refusing to allow the government access to the details of Russians who had joined VK groups protesting against Russia’s involvement in Ukraine, the brothers sold their stake in the company and left, planning never to return.
Upon leaving Russia, Nikolai and Pavel began work on Telegram, with Nikolai writing the code and Pavel running the business side. Telegram was officially launched in late 2013 and has been growing steadily ever since. Since its inception, it has grown from 100,000 active users in October of that year to 15 million just six months later. The 100 million active users milestone was passed in early 2016, followed by 200 million users in March 2018, then 300 million in April 2020. As of Jan 2021, Telegram has about 500 million users, according to Durov in a blog post.
Telegram users: two of many.
Telegram and Security
When using Telegram for the first time, it becomes clear that it has several features that WhatsApp lacks. When it comes to security between the two apps, Telegram has often said that it is the more secure option and others have seek to clear the finer points about that claim. So what’s going on actually?
While WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption by default, on Telegram, this has to be activated. It is a mistake to imagine that your chats on Telegram are entirely secure – unless you activate the Secret Chat function, then your conversations are not stored on Telegram’s servers. It’s also worth noting that secret chats are on a per-device basis. If you started a secret chat with someone on your mobile, this chat doesn’t move to the desktop app automatically. You’ll need to set up a separate secret chat with the same person on the desktop. It’s probably a bit more secure when compared to WhatsApp’s messages or even the normal ones, even if it may be a bit inconvenient.
Telegram uses two types of encryption, as stated in their FAQ page: Server-client encryption which is for chats stored in the Cloud Server and client-client encryption, which is used by Secret Chats. If you’re really into the technical details, they use 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption, and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange.
Hackers who wanna earn some extra moolah and have some solid street cred to boast about can give the Cracking Contest a go for $300,000 at Telegram’s expense. It might not be as much money compared to some of the other crypto bounties out there but hey, consider it community service.
The company claims that it never has nor will disclose the user information it holds, but those wishing to communicate in complete privacy will need to think carefully before using the platform and should certainly enable the secret chats function.
Telegram has generated its fair share of controversy over the last few years, as the platform has found itself used by the likes of jihadis, the far-right and those spreading pornography – often that featuring underage children. The jihadi adoption caused particular disquiet, especially when it was reported that Islamic State (ISIS) fighters were using Telegram to communicate and spread propaganda.
Telegram and Crypto
One of the most popular features that Telegram offers (quite apart from the insanely joyful sticker packs) are Channels, which can broadcast messages to large groups of followers. Channels can be thought of as a news feed where subscribers can sign up and receive regular updates. They allow for an unlimited number of subscribers and do not support replies – meaning that the channel admin can broadcast exclusively.
Just some of the many Telegram stickers available.
Posts in channels have a handy feature that tells you how many people have viewed the post in question (it’s the eye symbol in the bottom right, next to the timestamp). This way, both creators and other subscribers can gauge the popularity of particular posts, enabling the former to better tailor their content in the future.
The Channels feature has been enthusiastically embraced by the crypto community to disseminate information regarding all aspects of the sector. As a result, a plethora of crypto-related channels have sprung up in recent years, dedicated to a wide variety of topics, including news, market action, trading insights, gossip and much more. As expected, these range from the good to the bad to the ugly, which is why we’ve listed ten of the best ones below.
Getting started with Telegram Channels.
Telegram and crypto haven’t always been easy bedfellows, though, as the company got its fingers badly burned when it attempted to launch its Telegram Open Network (TON) blockchain project back in 2018. It secured around $1.7 billion in funding from qualified investors, intending to develop a proof of stake blockchain with its own native GRAM token.
That was until the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) intervened and sued Telegram shortly before the project’s official launch in 2019. The SEC maintained that the project constituted the sale of an unregistered security. A federal court later found in favour of the authorities.
Telegram and the SEC reached a settlement that involved the former paying an $18.5 million fine and returning all the money it had raised from investors. Not exactly the most auspicious of forays into the world of crypto.
The ill-fated TON venture.
The failure of the Telegram ICO may have limited the company’s crypto ambitions for the time being, but the platform is firmly established as the go-to messaging app for the crypto community. So if you’re looking to get involved with all that crypto Telegram has to offer, then read on. Many of the channels listed here can also be found in Guy’s video on the same topic for those who prefer to read over watching videos.
The Top 10 Crypto Telegram Channels
1. Coin Bureau Insider
Well, obviously. Guy has been working on Coin Bureau Insider for over a year now and has over 132,000 subscribers hanging on his every word. The channel is a place for him to air his thoughts in real-time and instantly share valuable and relevant bits of information that he stumbles across during his (very long) working day.
While YouTube remains Coin Bureau’s main outlet, the Telegram channel provides a vital addition to the stable. It allows Guy to communicate with subscribers much more immediately than he could on the Tube. Those YouTube videos take time to research, write, film and edit, making it difficult to get information out quickly. With Telegram, updates and insights can be fired out a lot more quickly – after all, the saying ‘time is money’ applies to crypto perhaps more than anything else.
Coin Bureau Insider is also the place to go if you’re looking for sneak previews of Guy’s upcoming videos, as well as updates about new merch lines, deals and other juicy morsels that come Guy’s way. He also occasionally shares updates about his own portfolio. However, if you want these in detail, then his weekly newsletter is where you’ll find a full rundown.
As ever with Guy, there’s no shilling here, and the channel is focused on keeping you informed and in the know. While many other channels also post the same news stories and look largely similar, Guy avoids all that and prefers to share stuff you might not find elsewhere. He also gives his two cents on the latest stories from the cryptoverse, as well as sharing links and other resources that cross his path. A must for anyone wanting to have Coin Bureau with them wherever they go.
2. ICO Analytics
Most blockchain projects raise funds through Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), similar to how companies issue shares to raise capital. ICO Analytics is a platform listing ICO projects and the investors who invest in them. They aim to become the go-to resource for the most promising ICO projects worldwide.
Each post garners an average of 20k eyeballs, so that gives you an idea of how popular they are. While I had mentioned that their posts are infrequent, based on what I’ve seen, there are multiple daily updates, which is frequent enough for me. The posts also link to an article to find out more, which gives people a chance to rabbit-hole into something interesting.
Get your quality ICO announcements here! Image via ICO Analytics
With the deluge of new projects coming on every day, it’s practically impossible to sift out the junk from the treasures. Therefore, having a solid platform that serves as a jumping-off point is essential, and this channel would be that. Bear in mind, though, there is a limit to what is being covered. Even with a team of people doing this full-time, there’s simply too much to go through. However, it really doesn’t take a lot to make some good gains on one or two solid projects rather than spraying small amounts of money all over.
3. Metaverse NFT News
The whopping number of 150-160k eyeballs per post in the Metaverse NFT News TG channel speaks to the channel’s popularity and the interest in NFTs in general. If you have a limited amount of energy to follow NFT news, consider subscribing to this Telegram channel. It acts as a news aggregator for all things NFT-related. The team post news that they believe are important so what you’re reading is the “second round”. This might be limiting to some, but it also prevents you from feeling overwhelmed, which is very easy for it to happen. They do a quick summary of the news piece together with a link for you to read from the actual source.
Get your daily fix of NFT news here! Image via Metaverse NFT News
4. DeFi Million
A new DeFi project pops up every day, asking for our attention and participation. With the number of projects packing the crypto space regularly, it’s not easy to figure out which ones are worth our attention to begin with, especially if everything sounds promising. Enter the DeFi Million Telegram channel. With more than 200k subscribers glued to it, it’s one of the more popular Telegram channels in crypto. If you want to start dipping your toes into the DeFi space and are happy to have this information curated before it hits your eyeballs, this would be a worthy channel to have on your Telegram list.
The quality of the projects are a bit up in the air, but there is no shortage of projects building on big-name chains. As long as you do your own due diligence, there is a good possibility for a pleasant surprise.
For all the DeFi news that’s fit to be announced Image via DeFi Million
5. 100 Eyes Crypto Scanner
For beginners just getting started in technical analysis who want to see what’s going on before they dip their toes in, the 100 Eyes Crypto Scanner Telegram channel is a good start. With the free version, you can get updates for BTC, ETH, EOS and XRP on 15m, 1hr and 4hr timeframes. Premium subscribers get a whole lot more goodies because you can customise the following:
- Type of alerts to resist, i.e. RSI, Bollinger Band etc.
- Timeframes to be alerted on
- Type of cryptocurrencies you’re following
The subscription package ranges between $10.00 – $12.50 per month, depending on whether you take the 6-month or 12-month subscription package. The more experienced traders might find this a worthwhile investment.
Good for getting into technical analysis for crypto trading Image via 100Eyes
6. Whale Alert
“Whales” in the crypto world refers to wallets with vast amounts of tokens, notably BTC and ETH. If you’d like to know when whales move, Whale Alert is the crypto channel for you. Whales have the ability to influence the market, which is not something that happens in the stock market. This also speaks to the size of the cryptomarket that, no matter how high the market cap, it is still prone to manipulation.
Anytime there is movement between a whale wallet and an exchange, it speaks to a possibility that some kind of action is afoot or about to be put into action. Some common ways of interpreting the info deals with inflows and outflows to/from exchanges. Large amounts moving to exchanges signify an intention to sell and vice versa.
Whale movements that causes waves in the market Image via Whale Alert
7. Glassnode
Glassnode is one of the top reference tools for anyone serious about crypto. They are an on-chain data and intelligence platform with many metrics and insights for paid and free members. The Glassnode channel features 1 -2 posts daily, packed with information on a macro level and how it affects the crypto market. This is an excellent place to get a solid education in crypto, albeit more on the trading and technical analysis side. So if you’d like to read quality, in-depth analysis of what’s happening in the market, this is the channel to go to.
The best analytics platform in the crypto industry Image via Glassnode
8. Rekt News
For those of you unfamiliar with the term “rekt” making the rounds in recent years, it’s the same as “wrecked” used in English but spelled phonetically. As you can imagine, the Rekt News Telegram channel brings you all the bad things happening in the crypto world, of which there are many. The news serves as a reminder of the amount of caution that needs to be exercised when navigating the dangerous waters of the crypto world. It’s also a good way to educate oneself in how these rug pulls and scams are executed. Not only will this help you to know what to look out for, but it’s also adding more knowledge that you can use when evaluating projects.
Find out all about the bad stuff the minute it’s known Image via Rekt News TG
9. Lunar Crush
Blockchain projects are all about the network effect. This is most apparent in the amount of social engagement found online. Lunar Crush aggregates the amount of interest found online for a project and ranks them using their own algorithms. The result is a Galaxy Score based on several metrics, including Social Volume, Social Engagement and Social Dominance. The higher the amount of engagement, the more likely the token’s price goes up, which then leads to more people talking about it. Quite a self-fulfilling virtuous cycle, huh?
I like going to their website to find out what’s everyone talking about. Sometimes it’s a protocol I know nothing about; other times, it’s something I hold. The only consistent thing I see is that whatever project that’s high on the LunarCrush list is something that’s in the midst of a pump. If you want to know how “alive” or “dead” the project is online, this is the channel to find out.
The most talked-about cryptos can be found here Image via Lunar Crush
10. Cosmos Airdrops
One thing that gets people befuddled sometimes is that free money is a real thing in the crypto world. This free money is known as airdrops, and it’s a way to incentivise people to participate in blockchain projects as most of them rely on the network effect. This means the more people use it, the better it is for everyone. There are general airdrop channels available, but these are a real mix bag as there’s no guarantee of the quality of the projects that are doing the airdrops. Whether you hold something worthless or of value, it all depends on your luck (and whatever research you manage to find on it).
Getting good quality airdrops starts with researching (and sticking) to good quality projects. One such project is Cosmos. Unlike other blockchains out there, with maybe the exception of Polkadot, Cosmos aims to be the unifying layer underpinning lots of other blockchain projects built on top of it. Well-known projects like Terra got started in the Cosmos ecosystem. Therefore, one Telegram channel for airdrops worth keeping an eye on is the Cosmos Airdrop channel.
Bear in mind you do need to do some “work”, i.e. participate in the projects in some way, shape, or form, to get the airdrops. Sometimes though, you might be rewarded with airdrop tokens just for holding the original token. So get involved with the multitude of projects built on the Cosmos network and keep an eye out for your project for airdrops here.
Come here for quality airdrop tokens Image via CosmosAirdropNews
Conclusion
One thing I find very overwhelming is the amount of news and noise generated in the world, especially in the crypto space. Since there is very little regulation (which is what everyone likes about decentralization), I have to admit that it can be very stressful to do my own research all the time. Sometimes, it’s just good to have someone throw me a lifeline so I can slowly make my way up the ladder. That’s how I see these Telegram channels. They are doorways to something that may or may not be of interest to me. If a particular project sounds unusually exciting, then yeah, it’s off to more info-gathering.
Feel free to not add any of them if you already have enough sources of information on your plate. As for me, I would add maybe one or two of them just for curiosity’s sake. Who knows, I might get lucky!
Disclaimer: These are the writer’s opinions and should not be considered investment advice. Readers should do their own research.
