Sun Oct 20 2024

Why Telegram?

Posted by: Ari Ben Am

Why should I use Telegram? What is it, and what’s on there for me?

The questions above are some of the most common questions that we receive. So let’s take a few minutes and give you the background that you need on Telegram.

What is Telegram?

Telegram is a unique platform. Not only is it a messaging application, but it also serves as a social media platform via groups and channels.

You can use Telegram to message your friends and family, but also access content of any kind publicly via groups and channels.

Telegram is hugely popular globally. As per Chartr below, referring to data from Telegram itself and other reports, there are over 900 million monthly active users (MAUs) on Telegram as of early 2024.

What can I use Telegram for?

Like the internet, the uses are almost infinite. People use Telegram to:

  • Read the news directly from the source

  • Access multimedia content, like photos, files and videos, easily

  • Follow sports and cultural events, like videogames, movies, TV shows and more

  • Discuss local and regional affairs with others

  • Buy and sell goods and services

  • Promote their businesses

  • Make friends and network

  • Find relevant business data

Telegram can be used by individuals for their personal lives, as well as businesses and organizations for data, advertising and more.

Like other platforms, there are illegal or malign uses as well:

  • Sale of drugs and other illegal goods

  • Sale of PII and breached/leaked data

  • Cybercrime organization and discussion

  • Extremist and terrorist activity

  • Disinformation and influence operations

  • Malware and hacking campaigns

These aren’t unique to Telegram, and law enforcement and government agencies, cybersecurity teams, journalists, OSINT analysts and others use Telegram as a critical data source for malign activity.

How can I access Telegram?

Once you create an account, you can access Telegram on your cellphone or computer.

For more information on how to access Telegram securely, check out our article here.

From here, you can then add contacts, create groups and channels, access your settings and more.

You can access the search bar inside of your Telegram application to search with one keyword in a basic sense across Telegram:

Searching inside the Telegram app is limited, and only retrieves a few “Global” results, or alternatively results from your own chats and channels and groups that you’re already in.

From here, you can join any groups or channels that you’d like.

A note about groups and channels

Groups can be of various sizes, and enable multiple-way discussion between members. They’re similar to groups on Facebook or other platforms. Your information is available at a basic level to other members.

Channels are 1-way broadcasting entities. Other subscribers can’t see that you’ve joined, and only the channel administrator can post.

Stay tuned for more blogs and guides on how to get the most out of Telegram and Telemetry soon!