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▲Pen pal programs endure in a digital age (apnews.com)

91 points by petethomas 3 days ago | 21 comments

TFNA 2 days ago [-]

The pen-pal phenomenon flourished in a time when letters were exceedingly cheap to send, even internationally. People in the Eastern Bloc seized on such programs for international contacts because sending letters was very accessible even to them.

Fast forward to today, and the cost of sending an ordinary paper letter in my country is now 3€. Lots of people would be reluctant to pay that time and time again, and forget about juggling a large number of pen-pals as people commonly did back in the day.

eloeffler 2 days ago [-]

It makes sense that it flourished when sending letters was cheap, plus it was a very common thing for adults to send letters, so why not add one for fun.

But I don't think a high cost of sending a letter is much of a hindrance if you pay it for social contacts. If you look at having a pen pal as a socializing event, then it's hard to beat how much it costs to go to a bar, concert or sports game etc.

kelnos 2 days ago [-]

Wow! That's expensive. In the US it's certainly quite a bit higher than it was when I was a kid, but right now stamps cost $0.78 per. I think that's going up a few cents later this year. Just looked it up; in the 90s when I was a teenager, it was between $0.25 and $0.32, so it's grown faster than inflation, but still feels manageable.

terinjokes 2 days ago [-]

Those are USPS domestic stamp prices, an international stamp is currently $1.70.

While a domestic pen pal probably isn't uncommon, the programs I recall tended to match you with someone international.

kelnos 2 days ago [-]

Ah, that's true. In the US I think it was a lot more common for penpals to be domestic, given the size of the country (IIRC all of mine as a child were in the US). In Europe it makes more sense that penpals would often be in a different country.

Still, is $1.70 (or even the 3 euros mentioned above) really that much to pay every week or two in order to maintain a meaningful friendship? An espresso drink costs more than that in many places.

Of course, email is free, so I could understand someone preferring to have a penpal relationship that way.

rationalist 2 days ago [-]

Still cheaper than a cup of coffee just about anywhere in the U.S.

rationalist 2 days ago [-]

And add the cost of the envelope, it's still less than the cost of a candy bar. I send handwritten letters to a couple of friends every few months.

torben-friis 2 days ago [-]

I'm not sure that's universal. I just checked and in my country it's still less than 1 euro, and less than 2 for international. Considering the natural delay in letters reaching people, that's not really a significant cost at all.

kdheiwns 2 days ago [-]

The difference between 2 euros and 3 is pretty insignificant. But 2-3 euros for a piece of paper feels big and makes text messages feel like a good deal since they're basically free.

But if letters are just a few cents to send, more people are willing to try it because it's the cost of pocket change that won't even get them a drink from a vending machine.

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