Kmflett's Blog

Is the physical letter dead?

The Financial Times (13^th December) Editorial mused on the demise of the physical letter. In Denmark the national postal service will end for letters on 31^st December. Parcels will still be carried (more profitable) and courier services will deliver some mail. There will however be no post boxes.

The writing and posting of physical letters, and the frequency of their delivery, is an issue across Europe and perhaps beyond. In the UK the Communication Workers Union continues to do what it can to defend and protect the mail service against the designs of its privateering owner.

There are two issues here, one of which the FT understands and the other it does not. Firstly the strictly practical. Some public and large private organisations will e-mail you correspondence. Some will if asked text you information. A good number will do neither relying on sending out written communications. Related to that of course not everyone has access to e-mail or is able to use it, often the most vulnerable and least well off members of society.

The second which the FT does get is a concern about what happens if the letter format withers away and is replaced by social media, WhatsApp etc. The chances of messages in these formats being available to later generations is minimal at the moment.

I often delve into the many volumes of correspondence between Marx and Engels (not complete but still a significant archive) which are available to read and search free on-line. If they had been conversing in the modern day I doubt there would be much to look at. Alternatively its just possible that on those occasions when Marx and Engels were physically in the same location (for example in the pub) where we currently have no detail that some messages might survive.

Either way what is happening to our mediums of written communication needs to be kept under careful review.

There is of course still the telephone, usually mobile now. I will and do ring people rather than sending them any form of electronic message, where appropriate. The art of conversation is also important and also I understand not what it was..