I don’t believe that email as a whole is a “legacy media.” However, certain aspects of it seem to have been replaced by modern technology, such as texting, instant messaging, and even “DM-ing.” These more modern forms of messaging allow for easier access to others and faster communication. Yesterday, I watched the movie You’ve Got Mail with a few of my friends from my hall and found the emphasis on email throughout the movie very interesting, as it was released in 1998. The characters’ main form of communication is through email, and I compared that to how it differs from today’s media culture. If that movie was released today, the characters would have most likely only communicated through texting.

Email still plays a large role in my life today. I tend to use email for more “formal” conversations, such as those with my professors, teachers, and boss. On the other hand, I use texting or calling for the more “informal” ones with my family and friends. I think that email is still widely used today, for these more “formal” conversations serve as a sign of respect to those you’re speaking with. Conversations via texting or instant messaging are almost too personable and casual for those who are considered your superior. Universities are so “email-crazy” because this form of communication is so universal and is able to be easily distributed to large groups of people, which other methods cannot offer. One of the downsides of email is the emergence of mismatched exchanges between professors and students. This is most likely due to the fact that students use more modern forms of communication to such a great extent that the type of lingo used for these is translated over to emails. Despite its downfalls, I don’t think email will become a “legacy media” any time soon.