WHY do people send voice notes? Gen Z says audio is more personal than text

Voice notes have become the new way to communicate, especially among Gen Z, who say sending audio is more personal than texts, which can sometimes blur meaning, and phone calls can trigger their anxiety. .

Messages, known as “voice notes” or “voice texts”, are short audio recordings people send to each other that have been around for years in WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessages, but have recently gained popularity. popularity.

People are seeing them popping up more and more in group chats and even on dating apps, like Hinge and Bumble.

According to a recent YouGov survey conducted by Vox, 62% of Americans say they have sent a voicemail, and about 30% communicate by voicemail weekly, daily or several times a day. And 43% of 18-29 year olds who responded to the survey said they use the feature at least once a week.

The use of voice note technology may have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic when people isolated at home yearned for social interaction by hearing the voices of loved ones.

Several studies have shown that people feel more socially connected when communicating by voice message rather than text.

“There is a fundamental mode of communication that connects human beings and their social needs, and that is hearing a voice,” Amit Kumar, assistant professor of marketing and psychology at the University of Texas-Austin, told NPR. .

HoweverKumar says his research suggests that “asynchronous” forms of communication like voice notes, which don’t involve round-trip dialogue, cannot replace the benefits of “synchronous” calls that allow us to pick up linguistic cues to have a more transparent and responsive conversation.

WhatsApp, which has used voice notes for years, said last year that users had sent 7 billion voice messages on the app.

The audio feature has also started appearing on dating apps – first on Hinge in 2021, with the number of voice notes increasing by 37% between January and February 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, a doorman said. -speak to Axios.

As remote work continued, voice notes were added to work chat platforms, including Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Voice Notes has continued to grow in popularity over the past year, especially with the younger generation growing up in front of screens.

Many Gen Zers say the voice note helps bring out tone and mood, which doesn’t always happen in text. So why not just call someone? The thought of interrupting someone with a phone call worries a lot of people.

Instead, people are able to say what they want to say without fear of being interrupted themselves.

Notes allow you to get out “whatever you want to say without being interrupted” and “let your thoughts flow,” Trinity Alicia, 23, program coordinator at Boston University, told Axios.

Alicia said she relies on voice notes to stay in touch with her boyfriend who lives in another time zone, as well as friends across the country.

Jim Broderick, a 22-year-old working in consulting in Washington, D.C., told Axios that with voice notes, he’s more likely to listen and pay attention than when a group chat has his phone blasting with text messages that he must read and analyze.

“That could be spicy,” Broderick said when he received a voice note. “It makes the stories feel more real and I feel closer to [the sender]. It lands better when I hear someone’s voice.

However, the form of communication has some disadvantages, such as having to listen and pay attention to long messages, which can be difficult if you are traveling in a busy area or in a meeting, or can also be tedious if the recording is continues.

“I absolutely despise when people use voice notes over just texting,” Talla Kuperman, a jewelry designer in her early 40s, told The Wall Street Journal.

Having received lengthy voice notes, she feels that without a universal etiquette for them, some take way too long. “I actually find it very selfish,” she said.

Like it or not, experts say there’s a scientific reason why people prefer voicemail over text in certain situations.

By hearing someone’s voice, people can pick up “paralinguistic clues,” which cannot be done via text, Vox reported. Signals could include speaking loudly when excited or a change in tone if conveying sarcasm.

“Even though paralinguistic cues can be subtle, they ‘humanize’ reminders that the one you’re listening to ‘is a thoughtful, sensitive person,'” said Juliana Schroeder, a professor at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Schroeder’s study found that when people listen to someone talk rather than read what they’re writing, they perceive them to be more “mentally capable” – reasonable, emotional and likable.

He also showed that people are more likely to have “empathetic accuracy” when they hear instead of read what they say, finding the person closer.