Death of the Letter

Over the past few days, I twice heard that letters may be dying. I used to work for Pitney Bowes and know that the number of letters being mailed has been declining for years.

I heard on the radio that Christmas Letters may soon be extinct. It seems that with so many people using Facebook to announce events in their life, an annual letter is no longer needed.

I also read an article that said most kids communicate by electronic text messaging. The idea of picking up a pen and paper is foreign to them. Many students learn cursive writing, but rarely use it and as a result penmanship suffers. Texts are brief and often a few words, not full sentences or paragraphs.

I can't help but wonder what the future may hold. Will we be in a purely electronic age with no paper books or letters ? I still write letters and enjoy finding the perfect birthday card or stationary that reflects my mood. Special cards that I have received are stored in a drawer, to be read again another day. I can't say that email has the same magic.