We all know how essential email has become for business. Whether for good or bad, it enables us to be connected to work 24/7. 9 to 5 office hours, in most cases, are a thing of the past.
But is email itself destined to become obsolete as a person-to-person communication tool? Facebook and other sites have instant messaging. Texting is the tool of choice for teens and 20-somethings. For them, it seems, email just isn't fast enough. And other social media platforms like LinkedIn have their own messaging tools.
A recent survey of high school and college students showed 44 percent think email has a place and will remain a viable tool. Many of them are now primarily texters, but they seem to recognize that email is the more commonly-used communication tool for business -- the world they know they will be entering within a few years.
Even teens do check their email, even if they rarely use it for outgoing messages. The study shows 95 percent who follow a brand on Facebook frequently check their email for messages or coupons and other special offers from the brands they follow.
So it looks like email is not on its way to becoming the fax or snail mail of tomorrow. Not for a while, anyway.