Phone Calls Dominate German New Year’s Greetings, Revealing a Hesitance Towards Digital Intimacy
A new survey released this week by the Bitkom, Germany’s IT industry association, has underscored a fascinating and potentially revealing trend: the enduring power of traditional communication in a digitally saturated society.. Despite the widespread adoption of messaging apps and social media, the telephone remains the overwhelmingly preferred method for conveying New Year’s greetings across the nation.
The survey, conducted among 1,002 German residents aged 16 and over between October and November 2023, found that a staggering 87% intend to pick up the phone to wish friends and family a Happy New Year. This dominance dwarfs all other greeting methods, with text messages via messaging services coming in a distant second at 59%. Social media platforms trail further behind at 45%, mirroring the popularity of video calls, another increasingly common digital interaction.
While voice messages and recorded video messages see respectable usage (41% and 23% respectively), the reliance on physical mail and email – once ubiquitous – has dwindled considerably to just 16% each. SMS, a once-dominant communication channel, now accounts for a mere 6%, highlighting the shift towards more sophisticated and feature-rich messaging platforms.
The overwhelming preference for phone calls isn’t simply about convenience; it speaks to a deeper cultural inclination toward personal connection and a subtle resistance to the perceived impersonal nature of purely digital interactions. In a nation often critiqued for its reticence towards excessive self-presentation and performative online behaviour, the phone call represents a more intimate and deliberate form of connection.
This preference also raises questions about the social impact of constant digital connectedness. While many celebrate the democratizing potential of online platforms, the enduring popularity of the phone call suggests a yearning for genuine, unmediated communication, particularly during significant social occasions. The fact that only 2% of respondents plan to forgo New Year’s greetings altogether further emphasizes the importance Germans place on maintaining social bonds.
The data, while seemingly innocuous, provides a valuable snapshot of the complex relationship between technological innovation and established social norms within Germany, prompting a wider discussion about the future of communication and the persistent allure of analog gestures in an increasingly digital age.