And now emails have become stale

Messaging only

First, it was the art of letter writing and now, it is the use of emails that is fading out.

With more and more youngsters and professionals hooked on to social networking sites and Blackberry Messengers (BBMs), the concept of emails has been restricted to just official communication. Looking back in time, emails were a means of faster communication but now, many believe that BBMs and networking sites have made communication all the more easy.

Kajal, a first year pre-university student, says there is never really a need for her to open her email account. “I created one when I was in the eight standard only because one needs an email account to open a Facebook or Twitter account. Now I don’t even know if my email exists because I talk to my friends and stay in touch with them through social networking sites alone,” she adds.

Other students too agree with Kajal. Danny, a degree student, says that he has kept his email account active only to receive mails from his college. “Many a time, we get our notes or official circulars sent to us through our emails. Otherwise I rarely open my email,” he adds.

Skanda, a freelance photographer, believes this trend of using less emails has caught on because networking sites are becoming more user-friendly and efficient. “The move is only natural. People can do the same things on networking sites as they did before on emails. So why write mails when you can just leave a note on their ‘wall’,” he asks.

If it’s the social networking sites for the students, it’s more of the BBMs for the professionals. Some may argue that in the business world, sending emails is still an essential thing. But they also feel that emails are meant only for official communication. From notification of office meetings to even communicating with colleagues working overseas, they say the BBMs help those working in corporates to respond faster.

Raksha, a professional, too believes that emails are slowly fading out.

“The BBM allows you to stay online all the time. So if you are out on the field and suddenly need to get in touch with someone, sending a text or ‘pinging’ them on the messenger makes things faster. Of course, I use emails but they are more for official purpose. Plus the BBM is free so everyone finds it easier to communicate,” says Raksha.

Emails may not be the flavour of the season right now. But no matter how much one thinks they aren’t of much use, there is no denying that they are still a necessity for the tech-savvy generation.