A study has revealed yet another thing that millennials are killing off

According to ipostparcels (they may have an agenda in flagging this trend, just a guess) 43% of millennials have never sent a handwritten letter, thank you card or parcel through the post.

Whilst 75% believe that sending physical forms of communication strengthens relationships and shows that you care more about a person, 40% also admitted that they don’t do it because takes too much time. 30% said that they’re too lazy or can’t be bothered.

What with walking to the shop, buying a stamp, walking home again, finding a pen, actually writing the letter, risking tongue paper cuts whilst sealing the envelope and then having to go out again to track down an increasingly illusive post box, we can see their point.

At the other end of the scale, over 208,000 pictures are posted to Facebook and 68,000 images are uploaded to Instagram every single minute.

Despite the faff of snail mail, the survey discovered that 81% of millennials said they would feel excited if they received a package or a letter in the post, rather than a text or message on social media.

Obviously, there are profound consequences to this lack of handwritten interaction.

Behavioural psychologist Dr Saima Latif says: “Digital forms of communication often comprise of short phrases, note forms of communication and emojis to express what we mean.

“Unfortunately, this can also trivialise our relationships and friendships in a superficial manner, rather than strengthening them and giving them more meaning and depth”

Also, we’re kind of worried about what’s going to happen to the stamp business.

The survey was carried out in July 2017 and polled 2,000 people aged 16 and above across the UK.

As a result of this basic travesty, ipostparcels will be giving away 500 free posts this week to encourage more Brits to send something in the traditional way.

Users can receive free next day delivery by using the code PFAP. For further information visit: http://www.ipostparcels.com/parcel-delivery/post-for-a-post.

Gemma Conroy, Ecommerce Manager for ipostparcels, says: “We can see that people are conflicted when it comes to how they communicate with their loved ones. Social media, text messages and other forms of digital communication are undoubtedly a fantastic way to keep in touch throughout our busy lives.

“However, there is clearly still a desire to receive parcels and letters due to the thought, care and meaning behind such a gesture.”

We do think you should send more letters, if you don’t already (and let’s face it, you definitely don’t) — even if it’s just an excuse to stop staring at a screen for a few minutes in the evening.

So go on, post a letter using the link above — your grandparents will love it.

Originally published at https://www.thenationalstudent.com.