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Comment by byrneseyeview | Hacker News Reader

Strangely, many young facebookizens aren't very net savvy (facebook is their internet) & they have little desire to go beyond the walled garden -- just like the old AOL users. There's even a proprietary Facebook messaging system (kids don't use much open internet email).

Hm. Interesting. I've never heard anything remotely similar to this, and I don't see any sources.

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When you have this many people on your app, this will always be true.

90% of people in general are not net savvy.

There's a difference between "Not savvy" and "Like an AOL user, and unaware of the rest of the Internet or the existence of email." He's making a crazy claim -- it's like saying that most people who drive Fords aren't sure about the distinction between a "carburetor" and a "door".

Most people who drive any sort of car don't know what a carburetor is. Heifermann's comment is hyperbolic, but not that far off the mark. There has to be a huge percentage of facebook and myspace users who NEVER use email. My own inbox is primarily turning into a collection box for online receipts and bank statement notices, just as my real-life mailbox has turned into a collection box for ... bank statements and other administrative paperwork I never read.

But you really think that people in college -- people who receive transcripts, syllabuses, and class announcements through email -- are the group most likely to abandon their inboxes?

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