Gen Z is bringing back snail mail in an unusual move for the generation that was born and raised in the Internet age, and Newsweek spoke to an expert to find out why (and one of those reasons is rebellion).
New data from Stamps.com revealed that nearly half of Gen Z-ers mailed something monthly, and roughly two-thirds of Americans were still sending letters and packages every month.
While many view letters as a relic of the past, Gen Z was still likely to embrace them, according to the survey of 500 U.S. consumers.
“Our research shows that mail is still incredibly relevant today,” said Nick Spitzman, General Manager of Stamps.com, in a statement. “This is because of the unique value it provides—the personal touch, the reliability, the importance. People rely on mail for those important moments and essential communications that deserve more than a digital message.”
Advertising mail, also known as direct mail or junk mail, delivered to a mailbox my a U.S. Postal Service mailman, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Gen Z is embracing snail mail, according to a new survey.
Robert Alexander/Getty Images
For 37 percent of consumers, personal touch was their favorite aspect of sending a letter, while 31 percent said the reliability of physical mail over digital was a major factor.
Online scams and data breaches have caused some to want their most important messages to be sent by mail. This was especially true for Baby Boomers, who said tracking was a top priority 40 percent of the time.
But even for Gen Z, using snail mail may be a way to reject the constant data overload they see in their digital lives.
“It’s not surprising Gen Z is using snail mail,” generational expert Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek. “It’s a subtle act of rebellion against their digital upbringing and now work life that’s constantly exploiting their attention and data. They grew up watching elder generations drown in an endless sea of emails, notifications, and screens that left people feeling burnt out and more disconnected than ever.”
To boot, sending a letter is the more personal and thoughtful option, as it takes more time and effort.
“It’s a way to connect on a more intimate level,” Driscoll said. “It’s also something that can’t be monetized or exploited by big tech.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, called the Gen Z shift to physical mail a “fascinating turn of events.”
“Whereas most of the last generation saw a move away from snail mail as practical because of the ease of email and texting, Gen Z is perhaps starting to see the value in physical letters because they feel more personal and, quite frankly, more special given that the vast majority of communication is now virtual,” Beene told Newsweek.
“Especially coming out of the pandemic era, physical mail has developed a new appreciation because of the time individuals put into crafting it and, in many ways, the ‘collectability’ of it for one’s memories. The odds are high you won’t have a copy of a text that was sent to you 10 years ago, but you more than likely will have a nice letter that was, and Gen Z is starting to understand that.”
There’s also a level of nostalgia that plays a role in Gen Z’s growing affinity for letters, but their dislike of tech could be a larger factor, he added.
“Gen Z sees through the false promises of the tech industry,” Driscoll said. “They know that just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s better. This generation craves authenticity, and snail mail offers that in abundance.”
Instead, for Gen Z, snail mail is “a way to reclaim control over how they communicate, pushing back on a system that’s commoditized nearly every interaction.”
“This is a generation that’s tired of being surveilled and manipulated,” he said. “They’re mailing letters because it’s one of the last private, unmonetized spaces left.”
