For the love of voice notes

SOMEWHERE IN THE BLUR OF 2020, AS I SLIPPED OUTside with a mask and running shoes in the early morning to walk around the block, the lilting drawl of a friend's "Hiiiiii" nearly stopped me in my tracks.

- RAINESFORD STAUFFER

It was the first voice note I remember clicking play on: a friend from our shared home state, Kentucky, talking me through a life update as we lived and worried and wondered about reaching out to one another from opposite sides of the country-me in D.C. and her on the West Coast. It felt like the surprise of an unexpected letter because we normally didn't communicate that way, mixed with the convenience of a text-a compromise for people who wanted to catch up but whose schedules rarely matched.

At the time, I only sent voice notes sporadically. Stage fright would kick in, as if I was concerned my rambling would be rated like a podcast episode. I worried-more than I did with in-person or phone conversation-that I'd say the wrong thing, or that others would experience the same full-body cringe upon hearing a recording of my voice that I do. I think better in writing, I'd tell myself, clinging to my texts.

But recently, I've found myself recalling how my friend's chatter broke through loneliness-hers and definitely my own. Particularly during a season that's supposed to be all about love, I think about all the ways that can lookspecifically, how we reach out to loved ones and connect. As I've sent more random voice messages to loved ones, it's become obvious how much I was craving this point of connection, finding solace in their voices even if I couldn't see their faces.

If anything, I'm a late adopter of voice messaging. A 2023 poll by YouGov found 30% of Americans communicate with voice messages on a weekly, daily, or multiple-times-a-day basis. Fans cite it being a needed break from typing on a screen, says reporting from the Washington Post, or how flexibility makes it more accessible, absent the anxiety some feel about phone calls and with more clarity than texts, according to NPR.