Voice memos boom in popularity

Voice memos are all the talk

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The Future. Voice memos are all the talk, especially among millennials and Gen Zers — an odd development given that voicemail is considered uncool (but maybe not for long). The trend of sending audio notes may strangely be a byproduct of the simultaneous boom in podcasting, possibly making the most authentic form of digital communication something we routinely do on the go.

Love to hear myself
The rise of voice memos demands to be heard.

  • WhatsApp reported users sent over seven billion voice messages just last year.
  • Hinge said users have increased voice messaging by 37% compared to 2022.
  • Slack users send 1.46 million voice messages per week.

And it’s not just on specific platforms. A Vox/YouGov poll found 30% of respondents communicate via voice note “weekly, daily, or multiple times a day,” while 43% between 18 and 29 say they do so at least weekly.

Why the love for something so old school? People can get a sense of someone’s emotional state right away (via their pitch, speed, and intonation), send messages while doing other tasks, and feel more authentic and intimate to listeners (which is important for maintaining long-distance friendships).

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