Don't call us ...
New Zealand Listener| June - 1-7 2024
Finland's ingenuity galvanised the rapid global uptake of cellphones, so it's paradoxical the country's latest claim to fame should be the elevation of no-speakies to a new commercial opportunity.
Jane Clifton
Don't call us ...

Helsinki hairdresser Kati Hakomeri has divided global opinion by introducing a chat-free service. The silent hair appointment - practically an oxymoronic concept has brought a clamour of requests to make the option compulsory everywhere and extend it to taxis - while traditionalists have mourned another symptom of the decline of civil society.

But a recent British survey suggests taciturnity is not just for the Finns. On top of data charting 33 billion fewer minutes spent on the phone in the UK than a decade ago, a poll found a quarter of Gen Zers and Millennials (18- to 35-year-olds) claim never to have answered a phone in their lives. Unsolicited conversation is being rationed.

This story is from the June - 1-7 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.

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This story is from the June - 1-7 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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