Reply
Honored Contributor
Posts: 19,488
Registered: ‎03-16-2010

Yes, I find in my family email is now apparently outdated with the younger folks.  I have nieces and nephew that are in their forties and fifties and even they rarely use email with me.  They will reply, eventually, if I write to them, but they never will initiate an email.  We communicate mostly on Facebook now.

 

As for the great-nieces and nephews (in their teens and early twenties), they not only don't use email, they rarely respond even on Facebook.  Apparently that's outdated now too for the young ones.  Either that, or they just don't want to let any of their friends see them talking to their silly old aunt.  (They don't mind cashing those Christmas and birthday checks, though!)

Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,233
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I have one of those busy youngsters in my family.

 

When I want to talk to him, I text him -  "call me"  which we've agreed to mean call me when you have 5 minutes or more to talk.  I'd add "urgent" if it were that.  Even my old phone and fingers manage that much.

 

He doesn't do email -  his secretary and his wife do.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,019
Registered: ‎08-08-2010

@Sooner wrote:

They are kids.

 

And yes, to them e-mail is outdated.  Kids get busy, are starting their lives and I can understand how they feel.

 

Send them a card once in awhile.  

 

 


 

Sorry, but I won't give them a pass on this one. It is easier today than ever before to stay in touch with people all over the world.

 

People raved about the various ways to now contact people without having to actually connect on the phone ( with the advent of email, facebook, texting) because you aren't bothering people when they are busy, but communicating when you can, and they respond when they are free to do so. 

 

But many of the young people I know are just simply not responding at all. I have seen this with my niece and nephew. No matter how contacted, they very rarely respond. I think they have grown up with this technology and it's inherent disconnect to personal contact, so they simply don't use or don't have the social skills and manners that many of us were taught before this technology took over as a major method of communication. 

 

This seems 'normal' or acceptable to them, when in fact, it isn't. In the old days, returning a phone call to granny or aunty was expensive and you were stuck hearing about their ailments, the cat, etc. and being tied up in a long conversation. Not so today. Quick answers and being polite is so easy with modern communication. 

 

I get tired of the 'We're so busy' mantra. Fix it. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,491
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

I have 5 nieces and nephews.  They do not do email.  They text.

 

 

===================================
QVC Shopper - 1993

# IAMTEAMWEN
Honored Contributor
Posts: 32,488
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Well, I'd guess that in today's fast paced world young people don't have time to respond to the old folks.  They are young, busy and involved.  I can't put too much blame on them. . . it is a different world they live in.

 

If you want to stay in touch with them, use the methods they use to communicate, and don't get huffy if  you don't hear from them.  The alternative is to write it off and quit trying to stay in touch.   You can't make them respond.  

Frequent Contributor
Posts: 116
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I hear from my teenage family members that email is indeed a very 'old fashioned' way to communicate. Email does not seem old style to me, but since I am 'old' my opinion doesn't carry much weight!   If I have something important to tell them, I don't like using a text which is limited in the amount of words that can be used. 

 

If it is really iimportant, I have to text them to tell them to go and check their email.  They say they check their email very infrequently as nobody uses it much these days.  Someone mentioned sending them a card instead of email.  I still send out birthday cards via the post office.  They think that is the quaintest thing ever - as (according to them) no one still sends out cards. 

 

I  heard a discussion on the radio about the US Post Office.  The opinion of the guests was that these days it serves mass market mailers, package delivery and those citizens so old they don't know that they can use the internet to pay bills.  They predicted that as we old foggies die off, the post office will go that way also. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,264
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

@geezerette wrote:

Yes, I find in my family email is now apparently outdated with the younger folks.  I have nieces and nephew that are in their forties and fifties and even they rarely use email with me.  They will reply, eventually, if I write to them, but they never will initiate an email.  We communicate mostly on Facebook now.

 

As for the great-nieces and nephews (in their teens and early twenties), they not only don't use email, they rarely respond even on Facebook.  Apparently that's outdated now too for the young ones.  Either that, or they just don't want to let any of their friends see them talking to their silly old aunt.  (They don't mind cashing those Christmas and birthday checks, though!)


@geezerette - Isn't that the truth? 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,264
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

@Mominohio wrote:

@Sooner wrote:

They are kids.

 

And yes, to them e-mail is outdated.  Kids get busy, are starting their lives and I can understand how they feel.

 

Send them a card once in awhile.  

 

 


 

Sorry, but I won't give them a pass on this one. It is easier today than ever before to stay in touch with people all over the world.

 

People raved about the various ways to now contact people without having to actually connect on the phone ( with the advent of email, facebook, texting) because you aren't bothering people when they are busy, but communicating when you can, and they respond when they are free to do so. 

 

But many of the young people I know are just simply not responding at all. I have seen this with my niece and nephew. No matter how contacted, they very rarely respond. I think they have grown up with this technology and it's inherent disconnect to personal contact, so they simply don't use or don't have the social skills and manners that many of us were taught before this technology took over as a major method of communication. 

 

This seems 'normal' or acceptable to them, when in fact, it isn't. In the old days, returning a phone call to granny or aunty was expensive and you were stuck hearing about their ailments, the cat, etc. and being tied up in a long conversation. Not so today. Quick answers and being polite is so easy with modern communication. 

 

I get tired of the 'We're so busy' mantra. Fix it. 


@Mominohio - I totally agree. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,958
Registered: ‎09-28-2010

Something else to check on.  Are all your family members using the same e-mail provider (like hotmail, gmail, yahoo)?  Are you on the same provider?  If not, try e-mailing someone else you know who does use their same service that you have quick easy non-email access to.  See if your e-mail gets through.

 

I had a situation a while back where for whatever reason, the e-mail server IP address my friend used was blacklisted by mail ISP because someone on that server was spamming so they blacklisted the whole address!  I didn't get e-mails from my friend.

 

Highlighted
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,264
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

@Sooner wrote:

Well, I'd guess that in today's fast paced world young people don't have time to respond to the old folks.  They are young, busy and involved.  I can't put too much blame on them. . . it is a different world they live in.

 

If you want to stay in touch with them, use the methods they use to communicate, and don't get huffy if  you don't hear from them.  The alternative is to write it off and quit trying to stay in touch.   You can't make them respond.  


Well, I am old, busy and involved and I'm living in the same world they are.  Is being annoyed the same as being huffy??