Postcards: Relevant or Not?

When is the last time you sent a postcard to your friend? When is the last time you received a postcard? In today's times, it is rare to receive a letter, unless it is a bill of course, but nobody wants those. On February 26, 2015, the Washington Post came out with an article stating, "That sales and usage have been slipping in the United States — or across the globe, for that matter — seems self-evident. When was the last time you received a bona fide handwritten postcard?” (Washington Post).

The culture of our society has become so wrapped up in social media that the US Mail System seems irrelevant and almost useless. Culture is wrapped up in the idea of instant gratification for our efforts that the chance to send someone a handwritten letter seems to have no point. Social Media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have made it so simple for us to send a message to someone in seconds rather than days. “The U.S. Postal Service processed 770 million stamped postcards in fiscal 2014, down from 1.2 billion in 2010, according to figures provided by agency spokesperson Sue Brennan” (Washington Post).

Is it time for culture to slow down or do we continue at full speed and eliminate the concept of postcards completely? The choice is up to us as we create a culture based on our beliefs and values. That being said, the question becomes not “Are postcards relevant?” but “What do we care about, and how are we going to spend our efforts for the art of communication?” Communication must be intentional. Send a postcard, retweet a tweet, share a photo on Instagram or send a message on Facebook, but whatever you do communicate well, and do it to glorify Christ.