Email could be a thing of the past by the end of the next decade, according to a joint piece of research carried out by network provider TalkTalk and the University of Kent.

Britain has over two million so-called First Lifers - those in their late teens or early 20s - who are technologically able but do not want to be chained to their desk while doing so.

For this demographic, just over half still use email, as many others are looking for shorter communication methods like Twitter and Facebook, while text messages and instant messaging also provide other interactions.

Furthermore, the study identified that these groups - which may be working in small businesses in IT - also prefer to contact whole groups of friends rather than individual people separately.

Mark Schmid of TalkTalk explained that while email may have been the dominant mode of communication over the last 20 years of internet use, it will not always be the case.

He continued: "Increasingly people want to send quick, short messages reaching many people in one go, and there are now better ways of doing that than via email. Based on the trends we're seeing now, email could well be on its last legs by the end of the next decade."

Despite this, Mickael Remond, the chief executive officer of ProcessOne, said that email continues to be an important business tool because it enables the use of targeted and methodical communications.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).