Email on the way out

Email is on the way out when it comes to communicating with people, at least according to Which? Online.

The consumer group says that only one person in 20 sees email as their preferred method of communication. Amazingly, people have become more human since last year, when the figure was one in seven.

Instead, folk prefer to - get this - actually meet people face-to-face. Twice as many said they most preferred to actually see their friends/associates than last year. It's radical but it might just work. Which? puts this worrying trend down to the overuse of email - information overload and all that.

The survey also reckons that two-thirds of Internet users spend less than five hours a week online and the number of sites they visit has fallen 12 per cent. This, Which? complains, is because of the fear of being ripped off online or being subjected to unpleasant material.

That sounds a bit far-fetched, especially considering that people being ripped off or offended is Which? core business.

Unsurprisingly, more people are connected to the Net than last year, the percentage of women online has grown and we are spending more on e-commerce. ®