Email is for Old People

A survey by Pew disclosed how teenagers use the internet to communicate with each other: through instant messaging mostly.

Teenagers ""see email as much more formal, similar to how adults would see written letters: a quaint way of communicating with older relatives or for formal communications," Pew researcher Mary Madden said."

Indeed, that's one of the things I noticed with the student project I supervised this spring. There was alot of communication going on behind the scenes at the laboratory. The two computers at their disposal typically showed a number (often between three and seven) of MSN-windows open. They used MSN to communicate with the other group members, but also and simultaneously with friends and siblings. Although I was quite involved with the group, they never suggested I'd take part in their mutual MSN-conversations. My internet communication with the group was through email only.
Perhaps they thought this wasn't my thing.

Which isn't true, really.
Once I arranged to meet another adult (I mean, someone my own age) on MSN to discuss some issues and the two teenagers present burst out laughing at the thought of us old people using MSN. As if the thought were similar to seeing two grannies run for the swings or the seesaw.