Towards the mute generation: Trends in the use of WhatsApp by Centennials, Millennials and Generation X
Abstract
This article addresses the phenomenon of conversation that the Centennial generation (‘mute generation’) develops through the instant messaging app WhatsApp. The analysis of twenty-three interviews with people from different generations (Centennials, Millennials, and Generation X) regarding their conversational use of WhatsApp allows for identifying the characteristics of conversation within the mute generation: presence, non-presence, emotions, and respect, as well as the differences observed in these values among the three generations. The results also reveal a distinctive feature in the conversation styles of Centennials (18-25 years old). These young people prefer technological mediation and use their mobile phones as a protective shield: the simultaneous and face-to-face nature of conventional conversation makes them uncomfortable.
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