Is e-mail last generation? Making sense of Generation Y's take on email

While recent studies continue to show a decrease in e-mail usage among Generation Y, those between the ages of 18 to 32 years old, they show an increase in use across all other age groups. Popular news outlets and blogs have raised the question of a generational bias developing toward e-mail. The speculation that Generation Y feels e-mail is becoming an outdated, formal means of communication, used rarely except in business settings and to communicate with old people.;A 29-question cross-sectional survey was administered to 52 undergraduate students at a Midwest university to analyze the perceptions, behaviors, and attitudes by Generation Y towards e-mail. No statistical difference was found between the perceptions, behaviors and attitudes toward e-mail based on age groups or gender. Overwhelmingly, the results from this research show that the vast majority of participants have some level of personal use and desire to use e-mail.