Can you admit you’ve gotten annoyed while waiting for a reply to your message? Maybe you even sent a passive aggressive question mark to speed up the process. Why didn’t you call? Why the newest generations avoid calling on the phone like it was the plague. What is it that makes calling on the phone so scary that it causes anxiety and panic? 

Whatsapp, X (ex twitter), Facebook, Telegram, Viber, Snapchat etc. There are dozens of apps for texting. Generation mute refers to young people preferring to text on social media rather than pick up the phone and have a conversation with each other. Generations born in the 2000’s may not be familiar with phone booths when cellphones were still expensive things that most people couldn’t afford. Telecommunication shops were still popular in the 90’s and people waited in line to contact family and friends. Well, our communication skills have changed a lot since then. In 2021 a guy went missing on a hike in Colorado for 24 hours and repeatedly ignored the rescuers’ phone calls because he didn’t recognize the number. It seems that people just simply don’t like it anymore. Among people between 14 and 24 years old, instant messaging is the number 1 means of communication. 92% of teenagers don’t use their phones for voice calls at all and 49% of them admit to texting someone who’s in the same room.

According to a study made by BankMyCell, for many young people, receiving a call is an intrusion into their everyday life. Another study found that 81% of millennials said they were often nervous when they wanted to call. Many practice what they’re going to say before making the call. Especially when it comes to official calls like doctor, boss, even a restaurant reservation. Let’s not get into self-diagnosing too much, but this tendency is termed “Telephonophobia” and might be fitting to some.

But why is it so scary? People come up with all kinds of excuses of not answering like “I didn’t notice it ring/vibrate’’ or blaming phone signal. The anxiety caused by having to offer an immediate response to something is one of their main reasons for this avoidance. People also report that they are finding talking on the phone too time consuming and others say they try to avoid needy people. Although, there’s an exception when it comes to partners. Where the oldest friends and blood relatives get ignored, even millennials rarely skip phone calls from their partners. Texting on any platform has a point though. You can remember everything you agreed on and you can use time to think about the answer. But according to millennials, those are not what stops them from calling. Fear of verbal confrontation and unpleasant conversations, messages that allow people to repeat and correct what is said are less risky and in general, public speaking is uncomfortable and scary for people. It’s more pleasant to many to have an AI chatbot to deal with than an actual customer service.

And remember, some apps are more private than others when it comes to texting. Good examples of the best encrypted messaging applications are telegram, viber and signal. Terms and conditions are also not a bad idea to check before agreeing. I know every generation feels like it’s got it harder than the ones that came before. People are marking their differences as a rolling pattern of change. You get it across fashion, music, cultural tastes as well as communication. But maybe for the ones that are afraid, try to remember that on the other end of the phone, there’s most likely nothing scarier than a normal person. Maybe they panicked before the call as well.

Taika Soihtu

Sources:

Nbcnews –  Hiker lost for 24 hours ignored rescuers’ calls because ‘they didn’t recognize the number

bankmycell.com – Why millennials hate talking on the phone

Ofcom – Communications Market report

Ofcom – Communications Market report 2016