瑼 smallish survey of 300 consumers in Boston, USA by PR agency, Prompt Communications found that phone calls remain the most common method of communication, with 99% of respondents regularly using the phone to connect with friends and family. Facebook (96%) is now the next most popular communication tool, followed by SMS (93%) and email (91%).

When asked which method they used most frequently, most participants chose SMS (37%), followed by Facebook and then the phone (28%). Although respondents clearly feel that email is now less important than social media, only 20% said they could live without it entirely.

Many people have nagging concerns about their employers seeing their personal information, with nearly three-quarters (73%) worried that their bosses will view their profiles on social networks. However, they were far less hesitant to allow their families access, with only 27% saying they would not want family members to see the same profiles.

Perhaps surprisingly considering rapid rates of adoption, people overall believe that advances in technology have created a negative effect on their lives and interpersonal communications in several ways. The majority (60%) believes that it relies too much on technology, while 71% believe social media is making communication less personal. But despite these reservations, people are still using social media regularly. An astonishing 28% of respondents claimed that they could only go one week without using social media, with a further 24% worried about just a few days. These figures compared to just 27% who felt they could live offline indefinitely.

Hazel Butters, CEO of Prompt Communications, said: "Facebook is the most popular social network in the world, with over 350 million users, so it should come as no surprise to discover that people are using it as a primary tool for communication. However, our survey results also show that people are still using more established methods of communication, from the phone to email. It is important for organizations to understand these trends if they want to reach their customers exactly where and how they would like to be reached. As attitudes change and new methods of human interaction develop, businesses must stay ahead of the trends."