Gen Z Reluctant to Reply Instantly, WhatsApp and Telegram Beginning to be Abandoned
In a modern world that demands everything to be instant and fast, an unusual trend is emerging from Generation Z. Young people are slowly abandoning conventional instant messaging applications and shifting towards communication apps that are intentionally designed to be slow—even at the risk of messages being lost along the way.
This unique phenomenon was reviewed in a recent Yahoo Tech report. Applications named Carrier Pidge and Roost have suddenly come into the spotlight after offering a messaging experience as if messages were being carried by carrier pigeons. This ‘retro yet new’ trend is beginning to erode the dominance of established platforms such as iMessage in the United States and WhatsApp in various other parts of the world.
Unique Working Mechanism, Returning to the Past
The message delivery mechanism in these apps is quite anti-mainstream. When the send button is pressed, the application does not immediately deliver the message to the recipient’s phone.
Instead, a virtual carrier pigeon animation will ‘fly’ carrying the message from the sender to the recipient at an average speed of 177 kilometres per hour. For short distances, messages may arrive within seconds. However, if sent between continents, the recipient must wait patiently for several hours.
Not only is it slow, but there is also an element of tension: there is a 0.2% chance that the pigeon will ‘get lost’, ensuring the message fails to reach its destination.
Developed by young creator Noah Iarrobino, these apps were essentially designed within a period of about three weeks. In the app store, the creator even bluntly describes his work as a ‘useless’ and ‘completely impractical’ application.
Nevertheless, it is precisely this absurd aspect that captivates users. Rather than merely receiving instant notifications that are often ignored, messages have now transformed into something that is eagerly awaited.
An Addictive Sensation of Waiting
When a message is sent, users are presented with an interactive map screen that monitors the pigeon’s movement towards the recipient’s location. The thrill of waiting for the message’s arrival is something that cannot be found on WhatsApp, Telegram, or any other instant messaging applications.
In standard applications, once the send button is pressed, the message appears immediately and is often quickly forgotten. Conversely, this carrier pigeon system makes the process of ‘waiting’ the core of the communication experience itself.
This trend is not merely a whim; it has proven to have a massive market. A similar application called Roost is recorded to have successfully attracted 300,000 users just weeks after its launch. This indicates that hundreds of thousands of people are consciously choosing to ‘slow down’ the pace of digital communication.
Eliminating the Stress of ‘Having to Reply Quickly’
This phenomenon signals a shift in public perception regarding digital communication. Until now, the general paradigm has believed that ideal communication is the fastest.
However, excessive convenience often triggers burnout. People have become accustomed to sending messages without much thought and replying perfunctorily, leading to psychological pressure, known as ‘chat fatigue’, if they do not respond within a short timeframe.
By intentionally slowing down the delivery tempo, the pressure to always be on standby evaporates. Senders are forced to compose their words more thoughtfully, while recipients have the space and time to respond without burden. Digital communication is thus returned to its primary essence: possessing meaningful personal value, rather than being merely an exhausting stream of automated data.