What you learned in school
Technology and business classes predicted that electronic mail would completely replace physical postal services within a few decades. Students learned about the inevitable obsolescence of traditional mail delivery as digital communication became dominant. Textbooks described postal workers and mail trucks as relics of the past that would disappear once everyone had access to email. The prediction assumed that all communication needs could be met electronically, making physical mail delivery unnecessary and economically unviable.
What we know now
Technology and business classes predicted that electronic mail would completely replace physical postal services. Students learned about the obsolescence of traditional mail delivery. While email has dramatically reduced personal letter writing and some business correspondence, postal services have adapted and continue to thrive with package delivery, e-commerce fulfillment, and specialized services. Online shopping has actually increased package delivery demand. Postal services evolved rather than disappeared, finding new roles in the digital economy.