RIP: the dog and bone
When did you last hear a mobile phone ring?
The sound of mobiles ringing could become obsolete as young people increasingly turn their phones to silent.
Downloads for ringtones in the UK have slumped by almost a quarter since 2016.
Why? They don’t need them to ring because they’re on them all time – there’s no need for an alert. They prefer to communicate by instant messaging anyway.
Flipping heck.
Ringtones are now the preserve of the old and middle aged, experts have said; mobile phones ringing in public will soon become as big a social faux pas as smoking indoors and playing Michael Jackson.
This may sound funny (thank you) but for advisers, this is no laughing matter.
Steven Bartlett, the 29-year-old founder of the social media marketing agency Social Chain, and newest dragon in BBC’s den, said at last week’s Verve Group event that he doesn’t use a financial planner, despite the fact that he and his friends are constantly talking about money (“Crytpo has done a huge job of making investment cool”) because:
“I don’t make phone calls, I use apps. If you do that, I’m looking for it, but I’m not going to book a meeting with you. If you want to appeal to young people you have to meet them on the platforms they live on. Otherwise, it’s going to be like pulling a donkey up a hill.”
This no-phone-zone was corroborated by an anecdote in among the canapes (beef macaroons were the highlight) when one father admitted cringing when overhearing his son on the phone recently, trying to book a table. “They just don’t know how to talk on the phone. It’s embarrassing.” He said.
Welcome to Generation Mute.
Simple hack
Run your writing through the Hemmingway app and it’ll correct grammar, fluency and sentence structure to help your copy read like a million dollars.
Shameless plug
This week you’ll find me in FT Adviser (page 2) talking about how to market your business.
Tech tip
Kaia Health offers an app that promises to help people with knee or back pain through a combination of ‘AI precision with a human touch’. It uses AI motion-tracking technology to assess movement alongside a human coach, who’ll provide live audio feedback.
Sign of the times
Fewer than half of M&S’s clothing stores now sell mens’ suits, suggesting the move away from formal wear is here to stay. Rails of matching jackets and trousers have been replaced by ‘broken suits’ – chinos and shirts.
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