Now that there is rarely any mystery to who is calling, Gen Z has adopted a range of custom phone greetings — including no greeting at all.
ILLUSTRATION: SHIRA INBAR/NYTIMES

The generation that’s never had to say ‘Hello?’

· The Straits Times
  • Younger generations often skip saying "Hello" when answering calls, using informal greetings or silence due to caller ID and concerns about scams.
  • Smartphones and constant digital communication make formal phone greetings less necessary, creating a continuous conversation thread across platforms.
  • Studies show younger people speak fewer words daily and use fewer polite expressions, reflecting changing social habits and trust issues with unknown callers.

NEW YORK – When Avigail Sharon answers a phone call from one of her closest friends, it is not with “Hello?”

“I always go ‘Bello’,” Sharon, 21, said. “And we’ll talk in Minionese at first.”