Report: Email still trumps social media, smartphones for workers

Social media has been a hot topic of discussion in public relations circles and among other professionals in recent years, but just how essential is it for day-to-day work?

According to a Pew Research Center report released last week, not very.

Researchers surveyed 535 employed, adult Internet users about the tools that are most important to them in their jobs. A measly 4 percent said social media was very important to their jobs, while 61 percent said email is. The report states:

What is potentially surprising is that even in the face of constantly evolving forms of digital communication, potential threats like phishing, hacking and spam, and dire warnings about lost productivity and email overuse, email continues to be the main digital artery that workers believe is important to their jobs. Since taking hold a generation ago, email has not loosened its grip on the American workplace.

Also surprising is workers’ apparent reliance on landline phones over smartphones. While 35 percent of respondents said landline phones are important to their work, only 24 percent said cellphones or smartphones are.