&gt; I think it is deeper than that. It is psychological. People are not (yet) comfortable speaking into inanimate objects that do not respond back instantly. I imagine that most people still feel silly speaking &#x27;into&#x27; or &#x27;at&#x27; an object and waiting.<p>by &quot;People&quot; I assume you mean &quot;Westerners&quot;. Go to China and be amazed at the amount of &quot;People&quot; using the voice messaging in WeChat<p>I wonder if it pre-dates WhatsApp&#x27;s voice messaging and it might&#x27;ve been a source of inspiration?