Email is dying.  I know it might seem a little premature to make that statement, seeing as how the majority of people have only had email since the mid to late 1990’s.  However premature it may seem, I think it is true.

Slow Fade to Black

Much like a cancer that slowly eats away at good cells undetected for a while, new forms of communication are slowly but surely eroding email’s efficacy.  Email was originally seen as a faster and less expensive way to communicate ideas with each other.  Families and businesses could send messages to each other in the blink of an eye.  Then came Instant Messaging, where you could have a private real-time chat with another person.

Now we have Facebook and Twitter, where each platform allows for private messaging that is accessible anywhere at anytime.  Relegating email to an efficient way to transfer files.

The Future

As email begins its slow fade out newer forms of communication are beginning to take its place.  Now more than ever I have noticed a shift in the way I receive messages from friends.  More often I will receive a tweet or Facebook post from a friend that wants to communicate something to me.  A Facebook Message, text message, or Direct Message on Twitter has replaced most of my email communication for private messages.  Email is simply a tool for me to transfer files to people that do not use Google Docs.

You’ve Got Mail

I communicate with my grandparents via telephone and snail mail.  This does not bother me because I know they are uninterested in computers and it was tough to teach them how to use the answering machine.

I think email will be moving to this stage soon.  A way to communicate with those unable or uninterested in social media or cloud computing.  With the advent of intra-company chat platforms that allow secure file transfer, Social media sites with their own messaging systems (ChurchCrunch has a great article on this yesterday.  What a coincidence!  Great minds think alike), and a greater acceptance of cloud computing; it is a matter of time before email dies.

What do you think?  Is email dying?  What can replace it?

Photo by Pepo