voice mail

It was a workplace necessity not long ago. Now voice mail is the latest mode of communication to be phased out by the digital age. Companies big and small are cutting it to save time and money.

Writer Charles Ornstein's parents endure in many forms, he says. Most of those, he doesn't carry in his pocket. But the voice mails — those unscripted moments of everyday life — he does.

"When it comes to voice mail, they're just over it," says Jane Buckingham, a trend expert. But it's still important at work, so younger generations will have to learn what to do after the beep.