Web 2.0 forcing the decline of snail mail?

Over the past few years, as utility, credit card, and financial institutions have upgraded their web based interfaces I have slowly switch from receiving my monthly bills and statements in my physical mail box to my electronic inbox. (It is too bad that I never received a discount from the utility, credit card, and financial institutions for electing to use e-mail instead of physical mail.) I have enjoyed the dramatic reduction in mail volume and physical paper. Additionally, I have also added my name to lists that reduce the volume of credit card offers. The general state of the current economy has reduced the volume of other junk mailings. The cumulative effect is that our mail volume is so low, that when we go on vacation we have no need to stop our mail.

While I a have dramatically reduced the volume of incoming mail, I have also almost eliminated my outgoing mail. I pay my bills online. I make my charitable donations online. I register for events online. Facebook, MySpace, EVite, and other Web 2.0 (not to mention plain-old-eMail) technologies offer even greater options to reduce the need for others (and me) to send physically mailed letters and invitations.

USPS historical statistical mail volume data generally backs up my empirical observation that these days fewer pieces of all types of mail are being sent through the system.




Unfortunately, it seems that speed with which mail volume is declining roughly matches the percentage increases in the cost to send mail. For me, the more it costs to mail an item, the more likely I am to find alternative - and usually free - methods to send my information. Additionally, raising the cost to send mail does not seem to be working since the USPS is requesting financial help.

I wonder how long the USPS can continue to increase the price of mailing items before it prices itself into a steady unstoppable state of declining volume.

I wonder too, if e-mail and the berth of Web 2.0 communication technologies caught the USPS off guard as to how these technologies would impact their bottom line. It is too bad I can not find valid and reliable data on the projected impact that Web 2.0 technologies have had on mail volume.

Will there be a time when physical mail will cease to exist and everything will be transmitted electronically? I do not think mail will ever go away, but it will be interesting to track the mail volume over the next few years to see if a more well-defined trend appears.