ADULTS in the UK are sending 58 hours’ worth of voice notes each year, with more than a third of people believing they are now replacing real life interactions.
A survey of 2,000 adults found they on average record six a day, typically lasting around 95 seconds each.
As a result, 22 per cent have felt bored listening to a long voice note and 15 per cent described the experience as a chore.
Four in 10 (38 per cent) of those who regularly send them have even spent an entire evening recording messages instead of meeting someone in person.
With 19 per cent admitting to sending some lasting more than five minutes, and 51 per cent will choose a voice note over a real-life conversation when they’re too busy.
The research was commissioned by Heineken to mark the launch of new WhatsApp technology, offering beer to those to connect face-to-face rather than send voice notes, which is currently being piloted in Brazil with more markets to follow.
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To redeem the offer, WhatsApp users in eligible regions over 18 must forward a voice note which is longer than three minutes to a private, encrypted bot to receive a voucher for a free beer and a recommendation of local bars.
Nabil Nasser, global head of the beer brand, said: “Voice notes can feel more personal than reading a message.
“But what our research shows is that we need to make sure they don’t turn into mini-podcasts, and that we’re having two-way conversations rather than an extended monologue.”
The study also found 47 per cent reckon the number of long voice notes they receive has increased in the past five years, with one in 20 being lumbered with a 10-minute-plus recording.
Yet 88 per cent admit they’ve forgotten what someone said while listening to one.
Of these, 37 per cent became distracted halfway through, while 30 per cent blamed the sheer length for not remembering any detail.
But despite the rise of the rambling recording, 70 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, still believe the most fulfilling conversations happen in real life, with just seven per cent claiming voice-note chats are more meaningful.
Nabil Nasser, from Heineken, added: “We want to make it easier for people to share moments of socialisation in real life.
“That’s why we have launched the ‘Could have been a Heineken’ WhatsApp bot, incentivising people to swap long voice notes for a refreshing in-person catch up over a beer, of course.”
