It was a serious question. I didn't realize so many people relied on WhatsApp for communication outside the US.

I also find your argument specious, because you can continue that train of logic with any modern technology.

I don't think communication is comparable to food and water, but I wouldn't say it's a negligible impact on a person, especially since we don't know the circumstances of what happened during those six hours and how many services rely on it outside of Western nations. And by the looks of it, a few million people rely on it.

Facebook going down is a minor inconvenience. Facebook Chat and WhatsApp going down are a bit more serious.