The death of e-mail? I think not.

I read an interesting article on the decline of e-mail as a preferred communications mechanism among the sub-25 crowd. While I can appreciate the appeal of instantaneous, synchronous communication, I don't see e-mail's status as being threatened in any way. When I was younger, I probably would have lived and breathed via IM, SMS, Facebook, etc. The concept of a planless Friday night was unthinkable. Funny how that changes with time.

These days I tend to avoid synchronous communication. I've never been much of a phone person, I run an IM client only when required to do so for work and pretty much the only person I text with is my wife. I prefer to manage my general availability and synchronous communication feels too much like an electronic leash. For me, e-mail is the ideal medium. I can reply quickly if I need to or I can take whatever time I need to compose my thoughts.

There will always be a contingent, regardless of age, which places emphasis on synchronous communication and high availability. These people are often seen tapping away at their surgically-attached Crackberries. Sometimes it's because of a job-related need and sometimes it's just because a person likes being connected. No problem there. Some folks enjoy always being 'on'. For those of us who don't, there will always be e-mail.

Comments

[Rich Moser]

How about...the death of the personal blog?