The Bottom Line: 4 Reasons I Dislike Email
You’ve heard of light years? Well, in computer time, what you believe has been 15 minutes is actually one hour.
Life was so much different before email arrived on the scene. Phones rang, voice messages were left and listened to, and a desktop inbox was useful. Most of all, the standard workday included more hours…I’m sure of it. Today, you arrive at the office—or you check your smartphone or tablet immediately after getting your first cup of coffee at home—and before you know it, it’s noon. It’s what’s commonly called “computer time.” You’ve heard of light years? Well, in computer time, what you believe has been 15 minutes is actually one hour.
But I digress.
On the topic of email, it is true that it is a fast, efficient means of communicating while maintaining an e-paper trail. An email can be composed and sent at 3 a.m. without the fear of waking up the recipient. It enables one person to contact numerous people with the same message simultaneously. Yes, email has its advantages.
However, despite the convenience, at least four aspects of email just get on my nerves.
- Email is now a new delivery mechanism for fear. Ever click on that link from a person you thought you knew who was sending you a “cool site” only to find your computer is now infected with a virus that’s spreading to all of your contacts? If this isn’t something that frightens you, it should be.
- Email disrupts my planning instinct. I admit it: I am a planner. Today, planning isn’t necessary. Open email in the morning, and that pretty much wraps up the rest of the morning.
- “Didn’t you get my email about the 3 o’clock meeting?” If it’s 2:45 p.m., don’t rely on email to tell me I’m supposed to be somewhere at 3 p.m.
- Spam, spam, spam. Today’s filters throw much of it into the junk box, yet spending valuable time weeding the wheat from the chaff to ensure I don’t miss an important message continues to annoy me.
The bottom line is that humans are, by nature, communicators and, given a new way to communicate, they will use, misuse and overuse it. Wait a minute. Chances are you are reading this column as the result of receiving an email. OK, so maybe email isn’t so bad after all.
What are some of the aspects that bug you the most about email?
