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Is email only for old people?

It's amazing how many young people have phone phobia nowadays. I had it when I was younger, I think everyone does early on in life but whilst in the old days kids would get practice phoning their friends etc from home, now there's text nobody gets that practice.

Thus, young people are starting employment afraid of making telephone calls (which for office work is not good!). I can only say for those who are afraid of phone calls... practice practice practice. It's a bit scary at first (for no logical reason) but you get used to it :) I found it helps to write down what you want to say beforehand so that you're not afraid of forgetting what you were going to say etc.

"A phone call is worth 100 texts" (modern version of a picture being worth 1000 words)

As for Facebook, yeech, I hate it (guess I'm getting "old" at 25 then). I can't be bothered to wade through 50 "soandso would like you to install SomeCrapApplication / turn you into a zombie / poke you / get you to fill in a survey" requests every day.

Email has its place because it's clean and simple. I think once the spammers stop ruining it, and perhaps subject to a bit of modernisation (like what I don't know, it just seems a bit old and clunky) it'll earn its place again. Or maybe it's a good time to leave email to the spammers and expand upon the extremely limited and dated SMS system. Call it er... LMS. Thanks to the iPhone, phone technology has to march on, and they can't carry on limiting people to 255 characters (or whatever it is). That could well be the next "email".
 
Right - here comes my treatise on the subject. I'd say its not purely about the age of the person, and it is more down to the life circumstances.

Older people would, despite current conditions, still stay at a job longer and therefore rely more on their company emails even for some degree of personal correspondence. They may also use tools such as Blackberry supplied by the company for the same purpose, and also probably don't have as many issues - money or otherwise - of keeping in touch by voice. There is one age-related thing in that they wouldn't feel the need to keep in touch online as frequently with their friends.

Younger people frequently wouldn't have access to the same corporate / company infrastructure as they would switch jobs more frequently or be in a more junior position, so they'd need their messaging infrastructure to be hosted elsewhere. Facebook/IM is more compelling to use than webmail among your friends, and as people have noted they can be on Facebook/IM all the time while at work - while texting is considerably cheaper than voice. i.e. Vacuous pabulum is much more efficiently and easily disseminated via FB/IM/txt.

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I am old, and I only use email and phones. I ignore texts on the whole unless someone has said they are sending one. I will use it for notifications, etc if it wouldn't be rude. I don't use my IM account, and I don't have a Facebook profile. The reason I am this way isn't necessarily solely because I'm old.

My own email setup is as sophisticated - and in some ways even more so - than the infrastructure of many top corporates. And when it's as ubiquitous as it is for me, IMing is a redundant option.

As for Facebook, my educational history is patchy and interesting to say the least, and it would be fair to say that the overwhelming majority of my peers are not people who would turn to Facebook for personal social networking.

I also have absolutely no problems about spending a few minutes talking to someone instead of sending them a text.

I do have a Twitter account, but I mainly post stuff in there to **** with people who are foolish enough to be subscribed to it.
 
i don't use email too often. nor do i use texts too often either. or places like facebook. i guess it depends on the person and my relationship with them.

basically only my family and girlfriend get texts. some friends every now and then, but my friends and i talk mainly over aim/messenger. email is rarely used perhaps because my friends rarely use it. although it is a fabulous medium that i know i should use more.
 
Im 25, and I really only use email when I want to share something with some people, that I can't really do any other way, for example a Link to a web Site, a bunch of Pictures, a Video on Youtube, a File etc.... Sometimes I'll email my friend at work if there's something I really want to tell him since he checks his work email like every 3 seconds :). Mostly Im a phone kind of guy, I just think actually TALKING to someone is soooo much easier than typing, and not because Im too lazy to type, I just think talking is much more efficient, and easier to get your point across. I will text on very rare occasions, like if Im out and have something really quick to say to someone (E.G. See you at 6), which isn't really worth a conversation.
 
I tend to use email quite a lot, with just a little bit of IM'ing thrown in every now and then. As for texting, I do this quite a bit but mainly to Miss Jaffa Cake – it's not that often that I text other folk.

I'll be 32 in the spring, so I suppose I'm old. The occasional use of IM and text messaging is clearly a last ditch attempt to cling onto what remains of my youth. :eek:
 
No one in my school uses e-mail, but they check it to get notifications on MySpace/Bebo comments etc.

To talk they use MSN and Bebo or <insert generic social networking site here>

EDIT: Nd dnt 4get txtin :D
 
dalvin200 said:
who you calling old?
my 3 yr old son has email! :cool:
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My nine month old daughter has email. :D

The problem that seems to be developing with the rise of texting, is that there seems to be an inverse correlation (I'd love to see a study demonstrating this, maybe even showing causation) between texting/IM usage and declining writing skills. Even with the struggling American economy, English is pretty solidly entrenched as the language of business. As more people, especially Americans, struggle with their English and writing skills, countries where value is placed on things like learning to speak and write properly will see development at the cost of those societies that need the spastic writing style that texting encourages.
 
ITTIOKBIHLTSSILTEM.

I think texting is ok but I have lots to say so I like to e-mail.
 
E-mail is mainly for work, although I do have one friend I send 3-4 e-mails a day but that is mainly just chit-chat. I've just checked my phone and I've sent 103 text messages in the last 7 months, so not what you'd call a big text message fan, if any one sends me a text using this stupid text language I'll ignore it. However I'll happily spend and hour or so on the phone talking to friends. The only people I'll chat to on iChat are friends who live in Newport RI. just find it nice to see them while chatting.

On a side note, I found out the other day that my birthday is also international phone dictionary day well pissed at that one.
 
mpw said:
I'd like to hear if this really is the case, if it is I imagine the reason could be that their new iPhone doesn't use the feature so they see no reason to include it with future releases as you shouldn't really be using a competitors product with your Apple PC. Similar to how iSync support dried up around the time that I'm guessing they committed to the iPhone.
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I know this is off-topic, but Nokia have added loads of iSync Plugins recently and Leopard now has a fairly easy to use plugin maker, especially if you make the phone, so the manufacturers should start sticking them online.

Otherwise Apple were never particularly prompt at doing it themselves, so hopefully the manufacturers can do a better job.
 
Personally, I hate text messaging (just call me), I don't like Facebook and loath MySpace (even band sites). Too much personal information out there as it is for me to want to really take part. Facebook is great for people you've recently recontacted or for people you have been friends with but that's about it.

Email is essential for work, online purchases, keeping in touch with family and close friends among other things.
 
I never really got into the IM thing. I dabbled a bit in college but haven't done so, once, since like 2003 or so. I have been under the impression that the IM thing was fading away. Nobody seems to be doing that anymore. Now, I must say that I have been text messaging on my phone more and more over the years. I almost think I text more than I actually call on my phone. But e-mail is still my primary form of communication. I literally check my personal email almost every hour.

For most people, once you're out of school and get a real job, e-mail becomes your only option to communicate while you're at work (or posting to message boards, like this one :D ). When I'm out of work, I'm not always likely to be in front of a computer...so texting becomes the equivalent. E-mail is also better for letting people know about events/to organize events, whatever...plus, it's a record that you can easily look back on. With e-mail, you can respond to someone later on rather than immediately replying. It's also the best option for sharing and getting information....something that's almost impossible with IM or texting.

IM is also more of a kids thing. By that, I mean people still in school (grade school, high school). That's also just for chatting. Once you become an "adult" and have a "real life" you don't have the luxury of hours and hours of free time to chat on the computer. Plus, when you're older, you're more likely to actually go out and do something with your friends rather than simply chat on a computer. Kids have "school nights," limited money, limited places they can go and other things that prevent them from chatting with friends face to face. That's why they may IM or text more than "old people."
 
I find as people get older they start moving more and more away from texting and IM to email. Reason for it is email is more professional. Plus IM and texting are more for little messages and talking. If it is something longer email I find it more useful.
I view test messages on my phone as a message to have me check on something or used if it is unknown if calling me will work. I can get them and replay to them no matter where I really am. I can not exactly taking a phone call in a meeting or in class but I can take a text message.

Email I tend to use more for longer messages or something I need a paper trail to. I am sorry but txt messages and IM just do not leave a "paper" trail so to speak like emails. Emails tend to stay more on topic and can cover more info.

Now I will not emal something that needs a quick turn around for me. If I am emailed it can take up to 24 hours for me to replace to it depending on when I get it.

I am 24 years old and just finished taking my last final of my college career.

Sum it up. It is not fact that the younger people grew up with txt and IM that stops them from being useful but more emails plus over txt and IMing has not come into play yet. I used to hardly use email for more than sending files. Now I find myself using it more and more for communication on things that require more information than a quick txt/IM could cover.
 
To me it depends on how much and how urgent. SMS is good for short messages that you want someone to see quite soon, but doing more than a couple of messages on my N73 makes my thumbs ache! If it's a longer message, or not urgent, it's much easier to email. It's also cheaper, especially if it's going to quite a few people. I've never heard it called old-fashioned before. Seems that some people only want what's new, whether or not that's the best way. Do I care what they think? :p:p:p:p:p
 
I must be really old, but I find that 95% of my written business communications are via e-mail, that I have never even once been asked to text or been asked to receive one.
 
Mail is always, always open on my computer. I much prefer it to anything else. Adium is always going to, but it's only used for throwaway chatter with friends.

I'm 25 by the way. I have a Facebook account, but never go there.

Abstract said:
I don't like speaking on phones, but I HATE when my mobile rings, especially when I'm anticipating a call. If I know it's coming, and I have my phone on vibrate.....goodbyyyye sanity!
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What is the deal with that? I do the exact same thing.

Even when I'm in a great mood, my phone ringing can send me right over the edge. It's ridiculous!
 
17 here. I love e-Mail. It's just such a nice way to communicate with your friends and special people. IM is nice and all, but I tend to avoid text-only chats because they make me use language and grammar that I'd never touch in real life situations.
 
I use email as a one-way communication basically. I only sometimes send out email. Mainly in response to something or sending to someone who I can't contact on MySpace/Facebook.

I mainly use texting as my main form of communication, as it comes in handy. Today I had to use it during school because we were on lockdown and I was trying to find out what was going on from my sister. It was an interesting day.

So basically my order of communication of choice:
1. Text
2. Call
3. Email
4. MySpace/Facebook.

And for those teachers/professors who deal with txt speak in the papers, that's horrible. I'm 16 and I still use proper grammar (except for a few occasions) in text messages. Sometimes I shorten it to fit it all with 160 characters, but I just can't txt with crap speak.
 
I'm 42, soon 43, and I get and send MANY e-mails every day. At work, of course, it's the main method of communciation, both within the organisation, and with users of our services. At home, it's how I stay in touch with parents, brother, and some friends.

I use SMS a lot, too - for short messages I want someone to get fast, but when I don't want to interrupt whatever they're doing. I'd rather get an SMS than have to stop what I'm doing to answer a call.

I've used iChat and Skype, but the problem is that I move around a lot during the day - I'm not necessarily in front of my computer all the time. And it's a drag to keep changing my status. Skype is good for phone calls that would otherwise be expensive, though. And when I do happen to see a good friend logged on, and have time, it's nice to IM.

When I want to get a message to my 15-yr-old, there's no point in sending him mail, he just doesn't check it. I have to leave him a message on Facebook, or send him an SMS.
 
I'm 13, and I don't think it's for old people. It seems like people are bound to be more thoughtful and grammatically correct through email, which is occasionally nice. Among friends, IM is nice, but I like email a ton because you can tell them things even when they aren't online. (I know you can sorta do that on IM, by the way.)

Then again, I have never, ever visited, MySpace or FaceBook, so I may not be the sort of person they were surveying.
 
I would definitely sign the thoughtful and grammatically correct thing. e-Mail leaves much more space to be poetic and actually take advantage of the language you're using. I love writing mails, and my friends love getting them.
 
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