Subject: the death of email?

According to the New York Times, there are the “signs you’re an old fogey: You still watch movies on VCR, listen to vinyl records and shoot photos on film. And you enjoy using email.”

Under this criteria, many of my recently graduated peers and I fall under the category of ‘old fogey’. We like playing vinyl and shooting on film. And yes, we enjoy using email.

With the ubiquity of online chat and text messaging, many predict that email is on its way out. Because messaging is increasingly becoming more immediate, conversational and informal, people are arguing that email is nearing its demise.

The world is becoming more fluid, but at the same time, there is still a place for email. Just because another medium eclipses another in popularity doesn’t mean the other is going away. Just as photography has not done away with painting and email has not erased postcards and letter writing, IM and texting have not replaced email. Each medium offers a different way of experiencing the world.

So why do I like email?

Although it can just consist of a subject line or attachment, email is the kind of medium that allows you to dwell. It is incredibly valuable for sending letters, essays and thought pieces that you just may want to share with friends and family, not a public audience. It is a much more intentional medium than instant messaging and texting. It involves deciding to whom it is for, choosing a subject line, crafting a message and waiting for a response that can take days. For the many reasons that many people dislike it, I prefer it.

Every form of communication doesn’t need to be in real-time or provide us with instant gratification. Sometimes you want a medium that inspires you to flesh out your thoughts and communication.

From Twitter to IM to Text, the world is dominated by short, instant conversation. most of the time I’ll find myself doing all three at once, but sometimes I just want to savor the moment and receive leisure gratification.

(Melissa Andrada) @themelissard