The main reason for this trend is that Zoomers are a generation for whom devices have existed since birth. By the time they reached adolescence, phones and tablets had already learned to make calls and send instant messages, explained psychologist, Gestalt therapist and specialist of the psychological platform Alter Maria Kochanova.
The appeal of instant messaging is explained by the fact that you don’t have to react immediately: you have time to think before answering. Because of this, you develop the habit of taking a breather, and therefore the call can “take you by surprise” and cause tension or even irritation. In addition, correspondence reduces anxiety when the conversation is emotionally charged and it is difficult to explain it by voice in real time, the expert explained.
“Zoom users perceive a call instead of a message as ‘an emergency has happened, now you will be scolded’, because information ‘on demand’ can be transmitted in text form in a messenger or by mail,” added Ferra.ru editor-in-chief Evgeny Kharitonov.
He also said that phone conversations often contain important information: dates, addresses, times, prices, etc. Most phones do not have a call recording function, so having a conversation like this while traveling can be stressful. According to the expert, the fear of phone calls is also due to the inevitable tongue twisters, slips of the tongue, poorly chosen words at the right time that cause a conflict, and the quality of communication when in a noisy room you have to ask the interlocutor again, thus irritating him.
Older people (generations Y and X) initially had only a landline phone, then services for sending messages on computers, which later migrated to smartphones. As Kochanova explained, with the development of technology, our level of norm is changing.
“Older generations could talk for hours on a landline, even in the hallway if the cable didn’t reach their bedroom, and they were happy. At that time, it was the most advanced means of communication,” the expert notes. Messengers appeared, and there was a choice: call or write.”
For the older generation, a telephone conversation is freedom and ease of communication, Kharitonov believes. Moreover, there is no longer a need to deliberately wait for a call on the receiver of a landline phone at home or search for a telegraph line all over the city.
“The mere fact that you can call anyone on your contact list from anywhere and get a quick response is intoxicating to millennials and middle-aged people, who dislike texting due to their poor typing and T9 interaction skills,” the source concluded.
