According to the Associated Press for many youngsters email is now old-hat. They prefer the immediacy of instant messaging, texting and social networks like My Space.

“It used to be just fun,” says Danah Boyd, a doctoral candidate who studies social media at the University of California, Berkeley. “Now it’s about parents and authority.”

It means that many people often don’t respond to e-mails unless they have to.

Boyd’s own Web page carries this note: “please note that i’m months behind on e-mail and i may not respond in a timely manner.” She, too, is more easily reached with the “ping” of an instant message.