Blog Post #4: EOTO

Did you know that every single second there are an estimated 2.4 billion emails sent. Emails came about in 1971 and are still used every day. Email was invented by a man named Ray Tomlinson, who was an American computer programmer. Ray invented and developed electronic mail, as we know it today, by creating ARPA Net’s networked email system. By 1976, 75% of all ARPANET traffic was electronic mail. His reasoning behind it was because he believed that there needed to be a practical and beneficial way for instantaneous communication between machines within an organization. The problem that he was trying to solve with his invention was a lack of communication. It was invented as a speedy way for ARPANET programmers and researchers to keep in touch, particularly targeting those who can’t be relied on to answer their phones. Eventually it became so widely used that it became accessible for the mass public. By 1993, the word “electronic mail” was replaced by “email” in the dictionary and the internet was becoming way more widespread at that time. Not only does email serve as a way of communicating, but it is extremely important, especially in a professional environment as it serves as a way of more serious communication, rather than other forms like texting.

Email has dramatically impacted our world through many different ways and the way in which we communicate. According to an article written by T. Smith, email has “drastically reduced the use of traditional mail. For instance, many people have their bills and payments that used to be delivered through traditional mail now but are now delivered “paperlessly” through email.” It has made an impact on our society, economy, and our culture. To begin, it has made an impact on our culture because email isn’t a generational thing. Across generations, email remains a critical tool for daily life. It is used by us, our parents, and even our grandparents. In an article written by Edison on changing communications, there are many statistics to prove why email is so important and how it has had an impact on each generation. There were two major findings conducted in Edison’s survey. The first is that successively older generations more often use email as their go-to communication medium. The second finding is that different generations use email for different purposes. For instance, more than half of Gen Z, Millennials, and generation X use email for things such as online shopping, working, verifying their identity for online accounts such as their social media, and work correspondence. Older generations email to connect with friends & family, read newsletters, and manage finances.

Overall, email has changed how we communicate, but has also had a few negative effects. To begin, it has changed the way we communicate drastically and the use of traditional mail. For example, a 2013 study concluded that email has achieved 92% replacement of written letters as a means of personal communication. “The access to quick-one-to-many delivery has increased the amount of personal communication people have as compared to the era immediately preceding the wide-spread use of email. However, there are a few negative effects of email such as the way it can be mis-used, like spamming. Spamming can harm communication by clouding worthy communication with a vast amount of unwanted communication. Another negative effect is that it can impact personal privacy due to the fact that email is naturally archived, private communication can be available for others who may gain access to the email. In conclusion, email has had a profound impact on our society and has had many benefits such as instantaneous communication, online shopping, working, keeping in touch with family & friends, reading news, and managing finances.