It has come as a surprise to some people but, rather than open channels of communication, it appears the advance of technology has closed them off. Recent studies in the US have found that e-mail in particular has proved to be a double-edged sword.

Its arrival seemed to herald a new dawn in communication. Easier and more informal than writing a letter and allowing one time to compose one's thoughts in a way impossible during a telephone call, proponents said it would make keeping in touch with friends easier and break down some of the rigid office hierarchies.

It has proved a mixed blessing. At work, the very informality of the medium has led to some serious misunderstandings as recipients fail to understand the tone and nature of messages from colleagues. The problems have become severe enough for some companies to limit internal e-mails to impersonal items like work rosters and schedules.

Some have gone further. Cisco, the largest company in the world, is trying to build more "face time" into the workplace. It is designing work areas to maximise physical communication between employees. With one of the companies at the forefront of the technological revolution reverting to traditional communication, it may be some time before the world goes digital, whatever the techno-zealots would have you believe.