When was the last time you rang the doorbell?

Allegedly, the doorbell industry is dying because millennials are choosing to text “here” when arriving at their destination instead of ringing the doorbell.

The inquiry leads on from a Twitter post by @youngandjoven.

So, is the doorbell industry slowly being wiped from existence?

Curtin University Associate Professor in Internet Studies Tama Leaver says we live in an age of notifications and are more aware of our phones’ sound than other sounds.

“We live in an age of so many notifications that we’re hardwired now to check our phone when noise comes up more than we are perhaps for other noises, including doorbells. I don’t see this as an issue. I think it’s a broader cultural change and I think it’s something people are quite comfortable with.”

Mr Leaver said we tend to only want the person we are meeting to know we have arrived, so we message them instead of using the doorbell.

“The doorbell is a general announcement to the house and sometimes people just tell the person they are specifically interacting with [that they’re here].”

The idea of the doorbell is not completely being eradicated, however the technology of the device is changing.

Bart Kwiatkowski from Protect West said customers are requesting intercom systems that have an app that shows who is at the door when they ring the doorbell.

“The doorbell is still extremely popular, it’s just the customers want something more than a doorbell that rings just inside the house. They want a doorbell which is going to call their mobile,” he said.

But even with this new technology, the idea of getting out of the car and ringing the doorbell is still daunting for some people.

“While it’s noteworthy, it’s a historical footnote, and do we really need doorbells, I don’t know,” Mr Leaver said.

It is becoming common knowledge that millennials are dependent on their smart devices, but is this a shift to a smarter culture or a step back in human interaction?

The technology of the doorbell is developing further to include smart apps but this does reassure most people in convincing them it’s safe to ring the doorbell.

So, the question still stands: is the doorbell coming to its end?