Although people are increasingly using social networking and text messaging, it doesn't mean they are cutting down on e-mail usage. Rather, the rate at which the online population uses e-mail is growing at more than double the rate of growth for either social media or texting, the ExactTarget 2009 E-mail Utilization Whitepaper has found, according to Business Wire.

The total number of social media users is rapidly increasing, but often these users jump in quickly, only to curtail their use of social media over time," said Morgan Stewart, ExactTarget`s director of research and strategy, according to the release. "E-mail on the other hand, is woven into all online interaction, making it an essential tool that consumers continue to use more and more."

In fact, according to a study released in September by The Nielsen Company, social media actually contributes to e-mail use.

"Social media sites like Facebook send messages to your inbox every time someone comments on your posting or something you've participated in, and depending on your settings, can send updates on almost every activity. Also, it's perfectly logical that as people make connections though social media, they maintain those connections outside of the specific platform and may extend those connections to email, a phone conversation or even in-person meetings," Jon Gibs, vice president of Media Analytics, commented on his Nielsen blog.