Graham Greene : Does the salutation ` ` Dear '' have a place in modern communication ? In digital communication , especially texting , it 's formal , archaic , too intimate , he says . But etiquette experts say it still important to correspondence , it 's impolite to be too casual . The pending disappearance of `` Dear '' is a sea change in the way we write to each other -- yet when you think about it , there are few logical reasons arguing for a longer life for that particular word . Greene : That may be true , but there is fewer people use it ; it 's likely on its way out .
Graham Greene : Does the salutation ` ` Dear '' have a place in modern communication ? In digital communication , especially texting , it 's formal , archaic , too intimate , he says . But etiquette experts say it still important to correspondence , it 's impolite to be too casual . Greene : That may be true , but there is fewer people use it ; it 's likely on its way out .