Facebook, Twitter Will Kill Email ... Maybe

Email’s had a good run, but its day is done, according to Jessica Vascellaro of the Wall Street Journal. Email is an outdated form of communication, better suited to a time when we logged online and off, she argues. Now that we’re always connected, Twitter and Facebook are faster—and more fun. And, not coincidentally, they’re growing faster, according to the latest Nielsen data.

But Kit Eaton of Fast Company thinks that’s crazy talk. E-mail may not be as fun, fast, or flashy, but it’s well adapted to its task. You can’t embed files in a tweet, and would you trust Facebook, “with its odd history of rights control,” to handle a corporate document? Email is often informal, true, but it’s much more professional than tweeting your boss. (More Facebook stories.)