I always tell my friends and relatives in North America not to send casual emails to me, like how are you, how are things, etc. IMO emails lack personal touch. They are best when sending out information to number of recipient or when people want to avoid talking to each other. I always wonder what is more important, 10c-15c a week/fortnight or the relationship.

I hope there are others who have the same thoughts.

KM

Nice topic. But this is a typical case of abuse of convenience. Something created with a noble intent take a different turn and rears its ugly head. There has been some extensive study done on the damage internet has caused on social life.

See here: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/56f0004m/56f0004m2008016-eng.pdf

The correct answer to your question is of course relationships are more important. But in reality I think we all try and get away with sending an email or chatting online. That and the reduced inter-dependency between humans due to increased self-sufficiency has caused the society to become more dispersed. The fundamental definition of society has been altered by internet IMO.

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If you have a gun, you can rob a bank.
If you have a bank, you can rob everyone.
- Bill Maher

To each his own.
I actually like my friends (in NA or anywhere across the world) to send me a quick email asking how things are going or to give their own little updates like how they are doing, what's latest with them etc.

What I do hate is people sending me mind-numbing, senseless forwarded, chain emails.
When someone sends me such, it tell me that they are saying I am too busy to write 2 lines of personal message to you, but I have all the time in the world to read and forward jokes, news and other mind-numbing nonsense.

I agree that a 10 min. phone call is always better and more personal, but with childhood friends scattered all across the world, in different time zones and everyone having incredibly busy schedules and delicate work/life balances, I understand that it's not always possible to make phone calls.
Sometimes a phone call catches me at the wrong time, and sometimes I catch someone at a wrong time with my call.
So, I prefer emails because it gives me the luxury to read and reply when I have the time.
That way, I can devote much more time and attention to what I read and write, rather than make a hectic phone call while sitting in brutal traffic to someone 3 time zones across who's probably having dinner.

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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."

-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"

I have to also say that a quick email is actually good for the relationship. If you look at it, we get very busy with our lives from work to kids to daily chores and by the time we get to sit down and think about anything, it's quite late (11pm in my case). So unless my friends are in india or the west coast, calling doesn't make sense. Now, to wait for a time to call can actually lead to months before one communicates to their friends. In the case of email, I think we all spend a lot of time in front of our computers so it makes natural sense to email or use IM to communicate. This doesn't mean one shouldn't call, it simply means that at least send a note to say hi to let your friend know you are thinking of them. A tru friendship will not go south because of emails but like Patrick sats, you send spam and yes, there's no guarantee you'll still have a friend

Each mode has it's own benefits. It's good to take benefit of each.
I usually prefer phone over email. When it's high priority task, phone obviously take precedence. The personal touch you get over phone is not possible from email.

But keep in mind that for phone you need both parties available and both parties being not in middle of any task ( meal, pooja, shower, snow plowing, etc)

Emails are good for dropping information, one way information for which you don't care or can live without the response atleast for a short period of time.
"Hey you got our Ramu kaka's number?"

Or, top 10 interview questions .. or some Indian dish receipe. It's tough for me to go over phone. I'll prefer an email.

I'll close in favor of phone - Email shows that your are active. Phone shows that you care.

An advantage of emails over phone is as mentioned , both parties need not be available at the same time and either can respond per convenience .... For legal technical issues such as accounts / lawyer / seeking info , I would prefer emails.

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Fido.