Canadians are receiving over a third less e-mails a week today than they were in late 2008, according to a new report.

Today, the average Canadian receives 129 e-mails per week, down from 198 in late 2008 and 224 in late 2007, an Ipsos Interactive Reid Report found.

What is the reason for the decline, as more and more people are now connected to the Internet? Emergence of Facebook, Twitter and instant messengers may be to blame. Facebook users send an average of 16 messages a week within its platform; messenger programs (MSN and Blackberry) are responsible for even more messages.

"When you look at some of the new communications platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Messenger, that have taken off in the last few years the decline in e-mail usage is really not that surprising, what is surprising is the size of the decline that is happening," said study author Mark Laver.

Breaking down the finding further, the report found that Facebook is more widely used by females and lower incomes, while males use MSN and Blackberry messengers more often. Those 18 to 34 years old use MSN most often, while Blackberry is used more by males 34 to 54 and earning higher incomes.

"The newer forms of communicating can be more instantaneous which may be one of the reasons that users are gravitating to them," said Laver. "These findings also have significant implications for those businesses that rely on e-mail marketing for some or all of their business. These companies should be evaluating to see if social media platforms are an effective method for distributing their message."

Canadians 18 to 34 are online more than anyone else is, but receive the fewest weekly e-mails. Those with high school education or below get a lot fewer e-mails than the average.

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