Comments on: Kids say e-mail is, like, soooo dead

The future of e-mail might be found on the pages of MySpace and Facebook, if teen habits are any indicator.

[pjhenry1216]

ridiculous

this seems ridiculous. all these networking sites are like proprietary email. it will never catch on because

email will always be here because its so basic. anything in the future will build upon the concept. the only real changes may be to the interface. Something like the gTalk interface in Gmail. when they're online, it acts as an IM, but when they sign off, its effectively email.

[wildchild_plasma_gyro]

The day email dies are you sure.

Myspace and face book actually face the prospect of decline though progress if they don't move with the times.
1) over the next 5 years there will be a shift in web formats from standard web pages to groovy looking applications and sotware that can shift the setups and reform them into other formats like formats for mobile devices and even large screen TV pages.

2) The children are going to want all their stuff to have more potential with the ability to work with social networking and the ease of production that you get with myspace.
The thing is at some point probably not that soon yet someones going to crack that nutshell.
For functionality and to over come the dificulties felt by previous generation technology it will probably use servers like buffers for when the persons PC is not switched on and a Fiber/top broadband connection P2P setup for when it is.
This is because the world works in swings and round abouts. So if you limit potential in one generation and offer some social networking novelties you can bet your bottom dollar the next generation will overcome anything they don't like.
This indeed will knock on the heels of communications like simple email.
However at the same time the ability to have a section that gives you all types of messages you've recieved during the day from all sorts of standards will increase.
There you go again swings and roundabouts.
So the truth being the Email will die just as soon as its figured out what comes after the internet however it will evolve eventually.

[real_bgiel]

The people who pay the bills....

e.g. the parents, still use email.

[tetsuyo]

email is here to stay

Email is now like the Post Office so it will be a big part of the way that we communicate for a long time to come. MySpace and FaceBook is like the neighborhood mall and we all know how malls can lose their luster once a fresh new one pops up in the neighborhood.

Teens love to hang out, that is their life and so the opportunity to hang out on the net becomes the next big thing. It is not so much that technology is fueling the next big thing it is the coolness factor. When MySpace becomes dated (and it has already started)kids will move on regardless of how much new technology is pored into it. What happens if it becomes cool to do the retro thing? Life imitates art.

[zboot]

I think those people

will soon stop paying the bills (in my case. . that stopped like 5 years ago) and will die out. Then where does your argument go? Seriously. . . its not like they're saying email will die tomorrow.

[kxmmxk]

Yeah right

And we take all our guidance from kids, right?

Kids do lots of stupid, and potentially dangerous, stuff. They'll learn, the hard or easy way.

Email isn't dead. There are lots of options and the situation will most likely determine the venue.

You can't archive stuff on facebook. What happens when they go out of business (and they will eventually, almost everyone does).
You can't protect the stuff on facebook.
You are going to depend on these various places to keep private and proprietary info?
I'm amazed at how many people are keeping their company proprietary info on google apps. It's a really bad idea.

Like I said, they'll learn the easy way or the hard way, but they will learn eventually.

[hormesis]

Heh..

Kids do a lot of stupid and potentially dangerous stuff? Drive to your local downtown and watch the 30, 40, and 50 year olds stagger out of their bar of choice and oh-so-safely drive their way home.

"You can't archive stuff on facebook. What happens when they go out of business (and they will eventually, almost everyone does). You can't protect the stuff on facebook. You are going to depend on these various places to keep private and proprietary info?"

What happens if the server all of your archived emails and "proprietary info" fails or is attacked, and you end up losing all of your information? That seems much more likely than a company such as Facebook shutting down all of its operations without first warning its members. Facebook wasn't created for business purposes anyways. It was meant for college students to keep in touch, which I don't think is a bad thing at all.


And before you join in on this orgy of youth-bashing, recall your years when you defiantly blasted your Who, Crosby Stills and Nash, Stones, and CCR vinyls from your turntable.

[questionmark824]

Email still alive

The article makes a good point, although it exaggerates some. Email will never become obsolete (for personal use) for the following reasons:
Sending an email is more private than posting on facebook.
You can send large files and attachments via email that you can't send other ways.
Longer messages are discouraged on websites.

[sevenalive]

This article is crap

Look at who they are talking to, a foriegner with a cheating site, a emo girl (emo ppl are "****" to everyone else, and some 16 year old girl.

Girls txt message way too much, i hate that, want a convo call me!!!! For short messages they r alright.

I instant message ppl a lot, i email only some people who don't have a messenger account, older family members. I recieve a bunch of emails.

and the spam argument, there isnt a day where u don't get some spam friend invite on myspace!

Facebook sends you an email when u get a message!!! So i gotta login to the email, to see i got a message, click on the link, to go to facebook, login then read the message. How stupid and pointless.

Now i am a 20 year old college student (male). I don't like myspace or facebook, they are stupid, and the dangers of those sites. For fun you can find someone, look at their and friends profile and know. There phone#, their age, school, friends, what they do, when they do it. And with that info you can, take their online identity, (email, myspace accs) or kidnap them.

Its mostly (90%) of chicks on myspace, who use it like an IM, posting comments, or sending "messages" which are really email!

Just use email or get a damn im account.

This article is complete crap and should be taken down.

[hal Summers]

Kids say only cartoon movies

If my kids had there way there only would be animated movies
and those featuring cute animals. What kids like when they are
kids is not always a good indicator of what kids will like when
they grow up.

[bobby_brady]

This one fat kid I know only does IM

Yeah, he's glued to his laptop. Obviously doesn't exercise either as he's fairly overweight. Sits in front of his laptop all day, only does IM.

I can say more in a 2 minute voice conversation than a 20 minute IM session.

[zboot]

Computer use does not translate to body health

I went to a tech/art school full of people who use computers all the time as well as those who did not. The percentage of overweight students in both categories is about the same. If all you do is sit in front of your laptop and eat. . yeah, you're going to get fat. In my job and my personal life, I spend a lot of time in front of computers (for the most part sitting down). However, I also get several hours a week of personal exercise, not to mention volleyball practice, volleyball games, and soccer games. All that makes for a pretty fit nerd. And no. . I'm not an exception any more than your fat friend is the rule.

[kakphoto]

What are we teaching our kids!!!!!!

Well after reading this article, I can see why this country is going down hill. Text messaging is only for emergencies, IMing is ok, if you know the person on the other end. It is much better than say Myspace. Too many phonies out there. I am too old to go to some the other site listed. just wait -- we'll be hearing about kids getting in trouble from the other sites soon. Blogging is for the birds.

If you really want to contact someone either use a phone or email. Still the best and safest.
How can you send someone a set of photos in myspace??? and about how people "pimp up" their pages --- it utterly disgusting.

[timster799]

I hate text messaging!!

Text messaging should be for emergencies. Anyone using text messaging is probably not looking where they're walking and worse--driving and endangering all around them. And for any kids reading this, there will be a day in your adulthood where getting an IM, instant message, while on your computer is just annoying...it's distracts you from what your doing.

[zboot]

Why is text messaging only for emergencies

Ideas like this are rarely well thought out. I'm going to ignore your "how do you send photos in myspace" because i'm guessing that either you are not a myspace user and there would be no point in explaining it. . .or it is in fact related to your second question of kids "pimping" up their pages.

Now, it is the height of stupidity to think that somehow, the internet has conspired to make kids pimp up themselves. There are more forces at work (think lax parenting for example).

The phone or email is the best or safest? In what sense? Nobody can kill me directly over the phone. . or email. . .or through facebook. So, I'm not quite sure what you mean. Maybe your worry is identity theft? People who provide enough information in a public area for someone to steal are probably going to be vulnerable to phone or email attacks. True security is more about an overall mindset towards vulnerabilities than any single secured vector. A person who carries a wad of cash everywhere he walks and owns a billion dollar state of the art security system is almost as easy to separate from their money as a person who carries around no cash on their person but leaves the door to their home and valuables wide open. People seem so willing to lull themselves into false senses of security.

[gnutux]

Texting is NOT for emergencies.

Kids love text messaging because you can leave short messages instead of waiting for the phone to ring then leave them that short message and then say bye. Instead, they just quickly type them or choose one of the short message functions that have been stored on the phone. Heck, even I use text messaging more than voice calls. Text messaging is a trend, and as long as teenagers are the future, they will command the future.

gnutux

[jedirock]

Ridiculous...

I'm 17. I know what people are doing. However, not everyone has
to keep with trends. The only non-email form of electronic
communication I use is IRC, for programming, as I am a computer
programmer. I don't use Facebook or MySpace; I don't even have an
account on either, although my sister has a Facebook account. I'm
repulsed that we're being pushed down because of a majority.
There are those of us who do use traditional proven methods
because they suit our needs. Oh, and I don't have a cell phone
either.

[flemingho]

You're so right

And on top of that, wait till they have to start paying for their cell phone bills or when they have to go on the road and don't have internet access - they'll be wishing they had a way to downloaded their messages like email.

Those that rely on texting and the abbreviations that come with it, might slowly lose their ability to compose messages or letters in long form, much less correct spelling, that are comprehensible.

[timster799]

...and my two cents

I agree...email will not die. Yes, every teeney-booper has a MySpace site and that's exactly why corporate servers block MySpace and social networking sites. There is no control on the content, just click on the "I'm 18 Years Old" button and you can see and hear anything. Corporate America won't allow that on their intranets. Email will survive.

[hormesis]

I'm tired of thinking up subject lines..

Wait at most a decade, and internet access will be available literally everywhere. And I haven't the slightest doubt that new mediums will have spawned by then (Crikey, compare 1997 to today).

Languages change over time; that's just how it works. Trying to keep it the same is like environmentalists attempting to control the ever-changing earth. You'll just end up wasting loads of time and resources.

[igmcdonald]

never worked with IM

Yes, too bad no one wanted to resolve this issue with IM... via SIP Gateway.
Might of made it more useful in the long run instead of slowly getting phased out.

These businesses don't give a crap about partnering. They rather each one of these teenyboppers have an account for each site so everyone gets a pie. Why get a slice when kids have numerous hours to waste updating and checking multiple sites? For every kid that grows up and out of myspace 20 more probably join up.
Why would they ever need to change that?

[mrc77]

Give me Gmail or give me death!

I can't live without email aka Gmail. I think Gmail is the most efficient email I have ever used, and it makes it so much easier to send a message than MySpace ever could. MySpace won't even keep me logged in. I have to go to the login page each time if I want to see new messages or friend requests. The social networks are nice, and I am well versed in MySpace, but they will never replace efficient and organized email, such as Gmail. Gmail is also the easiest way to send attachments. Try sending a 20MB file with your MySpace message system. I don't think it's going to be that simple.

[ethana2]

yeah, social networks now are too limiting.

I want a social networking api, and every kid running their own little server(Apache) or something. You should be able to network with anybody, not just myspace people or just facebook users. (Unblock my port 80, dangit!)

And voicemail? I wish I had sound files saved to my email. Right now, it's a message log that burns itself as you go... and if you forget your little insecure password, you have to call these people up, hope they speak english... blecch.

[timster799]

Amen to Gmail, it's great

I agree with you completely. I work as an analyst and have to deal with a corporate email address and my personal Gmail address. I actually send important work memos and emails and attachments to my home Gmail account because I can organize and retrieve them better. And it's free!

[Quixotic115]

agree

i'm a teen but I don't think email will die. I also use gmail and it's great for some things that social networking will never replace.

[hrowe]

I see both sides

I can understand how people think that e-mail is "like soooo dead", because people are not using it as the major internet communication anymore. I also agree that a lot of people still rely on it for business and as a safer place to store information. I think that people are going to e-mail for a long time, if only because not everyone they know will be using these social networks. The article pointed out that people use multiple social networks because not all their friends are using one or the other. They have different social groups on different sites. E-mail seems like it is a constant, anyone can access anyone who has e-mail, regardless of what e-mail you have. That is why, until there is a way to integrate the social networks and combine buddy lists, I think that e-mail is still the safe and reliable way that people will fall back on, even though they may be using other social networks.

[krazyken44]

There are

business colaboration/social networks too. They are secure for the most part. How do you think some one in New York works on a plans/proposal with a person in Chicago.....
Employers look for colaboration skills on a resume, so they are a good thing to list.
And of I don't give this nic on the resume either.

[bobmarksdale]

sad...

First of all, let's ask teens that own/run a social networking site their opinions about social networking...

Secondly, I am a teen, I do not have a facebook/myspace/pedafiles'R'us account and I use Gmail/Gchat ALLLL the time. I also never carry my cellphone around and have never sent a text message. I realize that I am on one end of the spectrum, but all of the people interviewed here are on the far other side. This story is BS as social networks will not replace email any time soon (ever).

[jedirock]

I agree...

Nice to know I'm not the only one like this. I don't even own my own cellphone (I share one with my sisters for those times either of us go out), don't have any social networking site accounts, and don't IM, except for IRC for programming purposes, which I consider my work currently. If they want the full story, as news should be, get the whole story. And that means getting opinions from all sides and viewpoints. That includes my and bobmarksdale, among many other teens I know that are very similiar to me. We're not all scrapping email.

[zboot]

And video killed who?

Ans: the radio star.

Unbelievable. Vinyl records will never be eclipsed. . .ah. . yeah. . .right.

This argument could go on forever. . .until it happens.

Hey kid, go talk to your parents. Ask them about things they thought would never go away. Obviously, you're not quite old enough to realize how things have already changed in your own lifetime.

[fhharris]

It's all about needs.....

I understand the points that are raised here, but as someone who owns a business, I am not gonna send proposals, files, documents, etc via an im or any of the myriad other ways of communicating. I want the luxury of receipts, time-shifting, and security. I can see it cutting back on superflous emails but those with purpose are best suited to email. As a businessperson would it be intelligent to not go get my snail mail other than weekly? If I did that I could be out of business rapidly. Anyone working for me is going to have to do what I pay for, not what they want. None of this article addresses the Enterprise. I cant see those in government using social networking sites to communicate.
Can you see your bank sending your statement in that manner? I realize that current email may well evolve since I am sure that my grandmother would have never expected to receive her bank statement over the television type thing. But as I can still get my statement via snail, so will I be able to get it via email in the next ten years.
I truly believe that the changes that will come about have to do with mobility and voice recognition and response.

[fhharris]

Work WIFE????? KIDS

Some might not be gender challenged. Some might have Husbands

[froasier]

I use e-mail

for the following things:
A. Receiving information and notifications from school & some student organizations (others use facebook)
B. Communicating with professors
C. Receiving notifications from facebook, myspace, and other web sources like forums and CNET.

[Rick Cavaretti]

social networks are for kids!

I can hear the Trix rabbit saying: Social networks are for kids!

What email is to snail mail, social network sites are to meeting
afterschool at the local pizza/arcade joint or mall.

[Davisac]

not all kinds...

i use email daily. gmail to be exact. and the google talk. i dont have a cell phone nor do i want one. im 16 so not all teens "need"(read want) cell phones. survey some diff people next time maybe