📞 “Can’t Talk, Too Anxious”

Telephobia is real, and Gen Z is now enrolling in college courses to conquer the horror of... speaking aloud.

In today’s edition of “Are We Living in a Black Mirror Episode?”, Gen Z—those brave digital warriors who can edit a TikTok in under 30 seconds and track down a cheating ex like CIA agents on Red Bull—are now taking classes to learn how to... use the phone.

Yes, you read that right. Nottingham College in the U.K. has officially launched telephobia coaching sessions to help students learn the lost art of speaking on the phone without bursting into a cold sweat. Because, apparently, nothing strikes fear into the heart of a 20-year-old like the words: “Can you call them?”

These aren't prank calls or scam baiting tutorials. We're talking real, structured role-playing exercises—like calling to book a dinner reservation or, God forbid, talking to HR. Somewhere out there, your grandma is laughing while cradling a rotary phone in one hand and a Werther’s Original in the other.

Let’s pause and reflect: a generation raised on Facetime, Discord, and 24/7 group chats can’t handle the raw, unfiltered terror of a voice with no emojis or “lol” to soften the blow. A phone call, to Gen Z, is the equivalent of carrier pigeon-level tech meets horror movie-level suspense.

And you know what? We kind of get it. You can’t backspace in real-time conversation. You can’t ghost someone mid-call without looking like a complete maniac. There’s no buffer, no “seen” notification, no three dots of anticipation. It’s just… you. And them. Talking. Live. Like a savage.

Naturally, the internet had thoughts. Some Boomers are shaking their fists at the sky, muttering something about “back in my day,” while Millennials are somewhere between laughing and applying to be adjunct professors of “Basic Phone Usage 101.”

But Gen Z doesn’t care. They’re out here rewriting the rules—just, y’know, once they finish their phone anxiety homework.

So what’s next? A crash course on how to leave voicemails without sounding like a kidnapped hostage? A master's in answering unknown numbers without spiraling into existential dread?

Honestly, probably.

Until then, props to the students who are facing their fears and dialing into discomfort. Because making a phone call in 2025 is the new skydiving: terrifying, unnecessary, and something you’ll brag about on LinkedIn once you survive.