Email to be Phased Out, Says Facebook Exec

With almost a half-billion users worldwide, the popularity of the social networking medium Facebook is at an all-time high.

In reflecting upon the success of her company, Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg has made a rather bold statement, claiming that it is only a matter of time before traditional email goes the way of the floppy disk and cassette tape.

Texting and Social Networks Outpace Email

While it might be hard to imagine a world without Hotmail or Gmail, the demographics tell a different story. According to Sandberg, only 11 percent of teenagers continue to use traditional email as their primary means of communication. Among the most popular communicative measures for teenagers (not surprisingly) are text messaging and social networks. (Source: itpro.co.uk)

Hackers Attracted to Facebook

The downside to relying on social networks as a primary means of communication is that this Facebook and Twitter are likely to continue attracting the attention of hackers for years to come. Facebook constantly experiences bouts of malware and phishing attacks, with the latest being the 'likejacking' scam.

Still, these mediums continue to find favor among users. While many would believe that the reason people flock to Facebook and Twitter instead of traditional email is for time-saving reasons, this is not entirely the case. Many identify traditional email services as being riddled with spam, therefore they become discouraged and look for other options available to them. (Source: businessinsider.com)

Sandberg believes that individual users will not be the only ones to benefit from an exodus away from traditional email. Businesses around the world are also keen to capitalize on the Facebook movement, making it a truly universal movement.

No Webmail Client for Facebook

Facebook's chief operating officer (COO) is not alone in her vision of a reduced emailing world. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would not be working on a webmail client and was rather focusing their efforts of developing short-form communication instead.