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I still remember my first time Voice notes. 2020 was a year of fear, masks and lockdowns, with new communication mediums emerging rapidly. Zoom has exploded in popularity as people struggle to “hang out” without being able to leave their homes; apps like Houseparty are emerging to create a social atmosphere that’s more relaxed and entertaining than video calls.
In the midst of all this, I received a strange WhatsApp Messages from friends. “I have something to share with you – it would be easier if I just vn,” read the text. Wayne? What does this mean? After a few minutes, a message pops up with a play button. What new magic is this?
Like many natural latecomers who are inherently hostile to most technological advances, I am, for one, Extremely suspicious of voice recordings. The sender feels lazy – they may not be willing to type out their thoughts, so they outsource the time-consuming part of the work to me, the listener. I’m now forced to filter the waffles and find out what they really want to say.
Recording my first “vn” was even worse – it was an excruciating, confusing speech that I re-recorded about seven times. Is this better than making a phone call etc.?
Five years later, I completely changed my attitude. Leaving a relaxed, eloquent voice message is as easy as breathing. Sometimes I even press send and listen again, such is the narcissistic pleasure I get from the sound of my own voice. They have become the primary communication channel for most people in my circle, ranging from 30-second “I’m almost at the restaurant and just met so-and-so!” letters to 17-minute letters Podcast Episodes About the latest big life drama. As I stride between my home and a station or store, nine times out of ten, I’m either catching up on an incoming voice note communication or recording my own.
I’m not the only one going through this transition. While voicemail is dead, voicemail is becoming increasingly powerful. Figures released in December showed that 9 billion voice messages are sent every day; Statista’s global research, which surveyed 14,000 respondents, revealed that in just one year, the average person spent nearly 150 hours sending and receiving voice messages. In the UK, a survey of 2,000 adults found they logged an average of six times a day.
There is no doubt that it has huge advantages – hence its mass adoption. It’s a convenient way to stay in touch, eliminating tone ambiguities that can lead to misunderstandings in texts or emails. Especially with distant friends and relatives, hearing someone’s voice, tone, and laughter rather than reading a lifeless string of characters can make us feel more connected.
But as voice notes have grown in popularity, they’ve become more time-consuming and clumsy. The study found that the frequency of voice note interactions increased by 7% year-on-year, while the length increased by 8%.
As a result, engagement suffered. About 55% of respondents admitted that they “often” forget to listen to voice notes; 22% said they get bored listening to long-form music; and 15% described the experience as a “drudgery.” There are some practical drawbacks, too: The details of the date’s time and place, for example, are drowned in a massive text salad of minor workplace grievances and well-intentioned anecdotes about the chaos of online shopping, making them difficult to recall.
They are a one-way form of communication – an empty monologue
Distraction can also be a hindrance. 88% of respondents said they often forget what was actually said in a message, with 37% getting distracted mid-stream and 30% blaming the length of the voicemail for not remembering the content.
This arguably won’t render The problem would be serious if it weren’t for the fact that voice recording habits appear to be affecting real-world relationships. As Vietnam’s stardom continues to rise, the status of the phone has plummeted, especially among younger generations. Research shows that Gen Z relies heavily on texting or sending voicemails as the primary way to stay connected, with a quarter of 18 to 34-year-olds admitting they no way According to a 2024 report, answering incoming calls USwitch survey.
Meanwhile, more than half (52%) of Statista respondents believe voice messages are truly replacing real-life interactions, rising to 60% among Gen Z. Case in point: Nearly half (49%) of respondents said they sometimes spend an entire night sending voice messages to friends instead of meeting in person. Although 54% of respondents said face-to-face conversations were the most satisfying.
That’s the problem. Unlike talking on the phone or face to face catch upthere are a lot of voice annotations no A conversation. They are a one-way form of communication—a nihilistic monologue, a one-woman show in which the sender plays the protagonist. There is no place for the receiver to interject, react or respond in real time. Call it a broadcast, not a conversation. It’s no wonder 76% of people say voice notes tend to be “self-involving.”
The real victim in all this may be our ability to hesitate. Interestingly, I’ve noticed that when talking to acquaintances, they tend more and more to monologue rather than dialogue: simply listing out loud the highlights of their life or their plans for the next week, as if reading from a bulletin board or playing a podcast, before asking me to do the same. This feels more like a transaction than a meaningful exchange. It’s a subtle but noticeable shift from the more complex conversational dynamics that occur when genuine connection and curiosity occur between two people in real time.
we call it The “art” of conversation – Because, well done, it yes It’s an art, a nuanced and skillful dance of communication. In comparison, real-life voice notes feel extremely bland and monotonous. Science shows that the more engaged we are in a discussion, the higher the perceived quality of the conversation. Speed daters who ask more follow-up questions are more likely to get a second date, according to survey Research. For example, effective listening, which includes brief gaps during conversations as participants truly process what is being said before responding, is associated with higher satisfaction and a greater sense of connection.
Voice notes don’t have to be the enemy. They can be a great tool to bring you closer to your loved ones. We just need to make sure they complement real-life conversations: a “complement”, not a “replacement.” It’s either that, or accept the inevitable and everyone becomes a professional podcaster. Might as well monetize these monologues…