Long ago, I used to have a lot of penfriends from all around the world. I'd receive 70-80 letters weekly and answered them all. But since I connected to the Internet in 2000, emailing has been a much faster way to keep in touch with friends and family or make new friends. So penfriends became epals and very often I'd get a reply within minutes. I recall having exchanged 30 emails in one day with an epal from the UK. Email is also cheap since it allows you to send long documents immediately and with hardly any cost.
However, snail mail is much more personal and private. There is a unique charm in the handwriting, the paper, the envelope, the stamps. A letter is something you can touch, file away and keep as a souvenir. It is also something you can smell! I still remember that beautiful, perfumed fancy letter paper I once used. What's more, unlike email, handwritten letters are safer as they can't be hacked or get viruses while it is practically impossible to forward them to hundreds or thousands of people instantly. .So, this is why I still enjoy writing letters and sending handwritten cards to friends and family. I guess it all depends on the recipient.
How do you keep in touch with friends and family? Do you still write letters? Do you believe emailing is a more effective communication tool?
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