Is email usage outdated?

Today’s primary work tools, in particular, email, could be headed for a demise. While those in favor seem to include both young and old, some recent articles suggest there are those who  hope gen Z will make it happen. 

Could email really become a techno relic of the past as a Money Control repost of a New York Times article suggests? 

Those favoring communication via text, Zoom and Instagram, for example, claim inbox stress from feeling guilty for not replying faster or for adding to colleagues’ already overloaded inboxes. Survey respondents cited the need to constantly respond to a barrage of emails as the culprit for losing track of other tasks creating an unproductive and infuriating cycle. And there’s  always the spam and scam arguments. 

Let’s say the above is all true. 

On the flip side, how does one keep a business-related paper trail with other platforms? What about the regulated segment, such as healthcare? Are the legal/compliance folks going to go along with this? Does the “inbox tyranny” premise truly cause us to lose our concentration? Or could it be increased screen time that is generally affecting concentration levels given the stats of attention-deficit issues that have also been swirling on the internet in recent years? 

We’re taking an informal vote here and would like to know: Do you vote YES in favor of keeping email or NO to using email for digital communication?