A gradual shift in phone behavior among Generation Z, whose members are more accustomed to touchscreens than dial tones, has left many older users puzzled as they notice a growing pattern where younger people, upon answering a call, remain silent and wait for the caller to speak first, rejecting the traditional impulse to open with a simple “hello” or other verbal greeting.
This emerging habit gained public attention when a recruiter shared an observation on social media, noting that during scheduled calls with younger applicants, it had become common for them to stay silent upon pickup, forcing the interviewer to initiate the conversation, a trend that quickly resonated with others in professional roles who confirmed experiencing the same pattern, suggesting the behavior was no isolated occurrence.
The reasoning behind this pause, according to those familiar with the shift, stems partly from the overwhelming surge in robocalls and spam, as automated dialing systems often wait for a human voice trigger, usually a word like “hello”, before launching into their scripted pitches, which means that remaining quiet can help users differentiate between real callers and machine-generated interruptions, allowing Gen Z users to outsmart telemarketers with what amounts to a passive screening technique.
Alongside the fight against robocalls sits a more cautionary motivation rooted in growing concerns about voice-based fraud, where cybersecurity experts have warned that scammers could potentially use voice samples, particularly expressive and predictable phrases such as “hello,” to train or manipulate cloning software, making some users more likely to avoid saying anything identifiable at all, instead offering flat or non-emotional responses if they speak at all.
This approach also signals a change in social expectations, as many Gen Z users now operate on the belief that the person who initiates the call bears the responsibility for initiating the conversation, reversing the long-standing cultural pattern in which the person who answered the phone typically offered a greeting, introduced themselves, or otherwise acknowledged the connection first, a shift that, while minor on the surface, has become symbolic of the broader realignment in communication habits brought on by changing technologies and social rhythms.
For those who lived through the era of shared household phones without caller ID, answering a call involved not only speaking promptly but also declaring who you were or which residence had been reached, and for professionals who worked with landline desk phones, the practice became even more formal, with employees often trained to respond with the company name, their own name, and sometimes an offer of assistance, which reflected the anonymous and institutional nature of many incoming calls during that time.
Today, that formal scaffolding around phone use has all but collapsed, as personal mobile devices, direct-dial numbers, and ubiquitous texting have turned calls into intimate rather than shared experiences, and even the voicemail, once treated as a personal audio letter, is increasingly ignored, skimmed through transcription tools, or bypassed entirely in favor of follow-up texts or missed call notifications.
The rituals surrounding voice calls have changed so thoroughly that many people now feel the need to coordinate even brief conversations through several rounds of texting beforehand, and when someone does make an unscheduled call, it’s not uncommon for them to apologize before beginning, as if their ring tone had intruded on sacred space rather than merely announced their attempt to speak.
While those born before the early 1990s may view these behaviors as signs of declining etiquette or emotional distance, history suggests that phone customs have never been fixed for long, considering that the phrase “hello” itself only gained traction in the late 19th century after Thomas Edison popularized its use as a practical greeting for telephone conversations, and most American households did not even have phones until well into the 1940s, which indicates that the rules governing this technology have always evolved alongside it.
Although it may feel unusual to encounter silence when someone answers a call, especially for those who equate verbal acknowledgment with politeness, the reality is that such conventions often rise and fall with their relevance, and as the function of voice calls continues to narrow in the presence of faster, quieter, and more asynchronous communication channels, it becomes less surprising that younger users now approach the ringing phone with hesitation, calculation, or silence, rather than the reflexive friendliness that once defined the gesture.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools. Image: DIW-Aigen.
Read next: ElevenLabs Mobile App Sees Moderate Uptake with Global Skew
This emerging habit gained public attention when a recruiter shared an observation on social media, noting that during scheduled calls with younger applicants, it had become common for them to stay silent upon pickup, forcing the interviewer to initiate the conversation, a trend that quickly resonated with others in professional roles who confirmed experiencing the same pattern, suggesting the behavior was no isolated occurrence.
The reasoning behind this pause, according to those familiar with the shift, stems partly from the overwhelming surge in robocalls and spam, as automated dialing systems often wait for a human voice trigger, usually a word like “hello”, before launching into their scripted pitches, which means that remaining quiet can help users differentiate between real callers and machine-generated interruptions, allowing Gen Z users to outsmart telemarketers with what amounts to a passive screening technique.
Alongside the fight against robocalls sits a more cautionary motivation rooted in growing concerns about voice-based fraud, where cybersecurity experts have warned that scammers could potentially use voice samples, particularly expressive and predictable phrases such as “hello,” to train or manipulate cloning software, making some users more likely to avoid saying anything identifiable at all, instead offering flat or non-emotional responses if they speak at all.
This approach also signals a change in social expectations, as many Gen Z users now operate on the belief that the person who initiates the call bears the responsibility for initiating the conversation, reversing the long-standing cultural pattern in which the person who answered the phone typically offered a greeting, introduced themselves, or otherwise acknowledged the connection first, a shift that, while minor on the surface, has become symbolic of the broader realignment in communication habits brought on by changing technologies and social rhythms.
For those who lived through the era of shared household phones without caller ID, answering a call involved not only speaking promptly but also declaring who you were or which residence had been reached, and for professionals who worked with landline desk phones, the practice became even more formal, with employees often trained to respond with the company name, their own name, and sometimes an offer of assistance, which reflected the anonymous and institutional nature of many incoming calls during that time.
Today, that formal scaffolding around phone use has all but collapsed, as personal mobile devices, direct-dial numbers, and ubiquitous texting have turned calls into intimate rather than shared experiences, and even the voicemail, once treated as a personal audio letter, is increasingly ignored, skimmed through transcription tools, or bypassed entirely in favor of follow-up texts or missed call notifications.
Some of my Muslim friends have shared that phone calls, like any form of speech, carry a moral weight, and they remind me that beginning a conversation with intention and a peaceful greeting, such as “Assalamu Alaikum,” (Maybe peace be upon you) isn’t just polite, it’s spiritually meaningful. They say it sets the tone for honesty, calm, and dignity in conversation, and also reflects the value Islam places on how and when we speak. Even silence, they suggest, should be purposeful, not careless, since the tongue is something one answers for, and every word, spoken or withheld, counts in the balance.
The rituals surrounding voice calls have changed so thoroughly that many people now feel the need to coordinate even brief conversations through several rounds of texting beforehand, and when someone does make an unscheduled call, it’s not uncommon for them to apologize before beginning, as if their ring tone had intruded on sacred space rather than merely announced their attempt to speak.
While those born before the early 1990s may view these behaviors as signs of declining etiquette or emotional distance, history suggests that phone customs have never been fixed for long, considering that the phrase “hello” itself only gained traction in the late 19th century after Thomas Edison popularized its use as a practical greeting for telephone conversations, and most American households did not even have phones until well into the 1940s, which indicates that the rules governing this technology have always evolved alongside it.
Although it may feel unusual to encounter silence when someone answers a call, especially for those who equate verbal acknowledgment with politeness, the reality is that such conventions often rise and fall with their relevance, and as the function of voice calls continues to narrow in the presence of faster, quieter, and more asynchronous communication channels, it becomes less surprising that younger users now approach the ringing phone with hesitation, calculation, or silence, rather than the reflexive friendliness that once defined the gesture.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools. Image: DIW-Aigen.
Read next: ElevenLabs Mobile App Sees Moderate Uptake with Global Skew
