( CNN ) -- Dear reader : . Actually , that 's the subject of today 's column . That salutation . Because there is a real question that has quietly been building -- perhaps not the most important question in this tense old world of ours , but a question nonetheless : . Is `` Dear '' an endangered species ? It would appear to be . You may have noticed that fewer and fewer people begin their letters and notes with `` Dear . '' Some holdouts -- I 'm among them -- do , but this may be mostly out of lifetime habit . Even people who grew up using the traditional salutation -- middle-of-the-road , go-by-the-book people -- now regularly begin their notes with `` Hi . '' This is mostly a function of the digital-communications age . `` Dear , '' which always looked fine atop a business letter , or a handwritten note , is increasingly seen as archaic and old-fashioned on a computer screen or on a smartphone or mobile device . 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 . We 've always used it , just because we 've always used it . But step back for a second and think about it -- about addressing business associates , or people you 've never met , as `` Dear . '' It has worked commendably in letters , but imagine using it with those same people in face-to-face situations . Picture yourself walking up to someone in an airport or at a business meeting and automatically calling him or her `` dear . '' You might be greeted with a withering glare , if not a punch in the nose . And imagine what would happen if you went around your office every day , in person , calling people `` dear . '' You 'd be taking a quick trip to Human Resources . The reason `` Dear '' may be destined to die is that it faces a dilemma much like an army confronted with a pincers movement in war : On the one flank , written-on-paper , mailed letters -- the kind that have always been started with `` Dear '' -- are rapidly disappearing , as use of the U.S. mail itself dwindles . On the other flank , many people who use e-mail decided a long time ago to go with nothing at all , or with `` Hi '' ( followed by the recipient 's name ) , as a reflection of the new informality and ease of note-writing . With text messages , the idea of a salutation does n't even come up . ( And of course , there is the ever-popular `` Hey '' salutation , used by those who think that `` Hi '' is much too stodgy . ) Not wanting to trust my own judgment on this vital matter , I put together an ad hoc advisory panel of five etiquette teachers and coaches from around the country ( yes , even in our hail-to-sloppiness era , such people exist ) . They pondered the `` Dear '' question . Watch : British etiquette for London Games . `` Even with the new normal of being informal , the proper way to start an e-mail is with 'Dear , ' '' said Cynthia Lett , director of the Lett Group , a protocol training company in Silver Spring , Maryland . The time to switch to `` Hey , '' she said , is `` when we get to the point of dropping by each other 's houses without an invitation and opening the refrigerator to see what is available for a snack . '' Patricia Rossi , an etiquette coach based in the Tampa Bay area of Florida , said , `` I really think it is best to open an e-mail with 'Dear Mr. Moore , ' as it 's important to start out with a more respectful and formal salutation . Mr. Moore will respond in a manner that he wishes to set the tone with . '' Barbara Pachter , an etiquette expert in Cherry Hill , New Jersey , said , `` E-mail does n't technically require a salutation , since it is in memo format . And when e-mail first appeared , many people did not use a salutation . Eventually people started adding a salutation to appear friendlier and help the tone of their writings . '' Jacqueline Whitmore , who advises on etiquette from her base in Palm Beach , Florida , said , `` In my professional opinion you can never go wrong when you 're too formal , but you can often be dead wrong if you 're too casual . '' And Paul Siddle , whose etiquette-and-protocol operation is based in Richmond , Virginia , responded to my question about `` Dear '' possibly being anachronistic by saying : `` Anachronistic ? Well , we are certainly becoming a more relaxed society , but there will always be a right way and a wrong way to do things . And using appropriate salutations , and closings , in written communications is the right way to do it . '' Most e-mailers and text-messagers do not consult etiquette coaches , though , and with the demise of words-on-paper letters , the future of `` Dear '' appears dire . There are , it should be noted , some ethereal and symbolic forces working against `` Hi '' in other parts of society : . When Katie Couric took over the `` CBS Evening News '' in 2006 , she at first began each broadcast with `` Hi , everyone , '' to send a signal of friendliness and non-pontification . The `` Hi '' soon enough went away ; evidently the word was too breezy for viewers across the United States who had long watched the evening news on the networks , and were accustomed to `` Good evening . '' But an e-mail is not the evening news , and perhaps it is time to begin saying our inevitable fond farewell to `` Dear , '' and to say that farewell before the salutation has already become dearly departed . Thank you for reading . With my most sincere good wishes until we meet anon . Why should the press be polite to presidents ? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene .
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 .