This story was published on page A1 of The Boston Globe on Aug. 27, 2011. It was published in the wake of the news that the United States Postal Service was considering closing many of its locations. I interviewed young people who still appreciate and actively send letters and postcards.
Pleasing Mr. Postman: In digital age, still savoring pen, paper, and stamp
Phoebe Sexton received so much mail on her 27th birthday, the postman couldn’t fit it in her mailbox. A 2006 graduate of Boston University, Sexton moved to Dallas just a few days before her birthday last year. But because she wasn’t with her friends to celebrate, she wanted the next best thing – for them to send gifts, cards, and letters through the Postal Service. …
We live in an age when e-mails, texts, and instant messages dominate communication – so much so that the US Postal Service is targeting 3,600 branches for possible closure over the next year because of dwindling revenue. The amount of first-class mail has declined every year since 2005 – last year it fell 6.6 percent, according to the service… (Read the full story)
Anna Marden 