I asked one my children “What is a phone book? and she said “It is a book about phones”.  She is almost 9. After I got over my amazement and my giggle fit. I started to think.

Who uses a phone book these days?  My sister, who is 28, looks everything up on the computer. I don’t even own one. In fact, no one I know even has one anymore.

Yet, when I researched the yellow pages stats online, there was lots of conflicting data. The Yellow Pages Association has one set of numbers and Bill Gates has predicted that in 5 years, no one under 50 will be using a phone book at all. Don’t forget there is an initiative to ban the phone book all together.

The YPA stated in their website “The Yellow Pages Association™ (YPA™) today announced that industry research shows 2007 Yellow Pages usage grew to 17.2 billion searches in 2007, up from 16.7 billion in 2006.” Wait, it grew? How is this possible?

According to Internet World Stats, 73.9% of the population of North America uses the internet. The growth from 2000-2009 is 132.9%. Okay, so more then have half have internet access.

Also, 76% of Americans own a computer. Given these statistics, how long do you think the phone book will be around? I am thinking it won’t be around long.

As the younger generations, who are growing up with computers and the internet, become the consumers, it is almost a given that the phone book will go the way of the dinosaur. So to you the phone book, giver of some much information in your yellow glory, I salute you and bid you a fond retirement!