E-Communication III (#5)

To continue, and I promise to finish this week, with my rantings:

e-mail:

* is a relatively cheap means of communication
* can be sent to many recipients simultaneously
* has multi-media capabilities, making it possible to transmit data, audio and video material
* makes it possible to keep an ongoing, permanent record of discussions with few resources

However, I have to admit that sending e-mail messages is not always the “best” way to communicate with our fellow Homo sapiens. I have two pet peeves when it comes to using e-mail: 1. it removes the human element. In other words, when we send and receive e-mail, we do not get the facial expressions, the eye contact, the body language, the hand gestures, the tone of voice, and other cues that help us to know what message a person wants to convey. In the absence of such information, it is easy to misinterpret the intention of the sender's message, and once we send an e-mail, message we cannot retrieve it or take it back. It can be printed, saved, forwarded, and shared by the recipient much more easily than the aforementioned types of communication. (Caveat: never send naked photos of oneself via e-mail.) 2. one would think that the more people write, the better they would get at it, but this does not seem to be the case. In fact, it seems to have had the opposite effect. For example, this is a message I received in my inbox from an elementary school teacher: “yo… wuz up? i just got back from vegas and wanted to C how you wuz doin. C U later.” What is most disturbing about this message to me is not that the writer could have done better; it is that he chose not to. However, both of these “problems” could be alleviated if the writer would do two things: think before he or she writes and use spell check.

In short, I love e-mail; in fact, it would appear that I am an e-mail addict, a junkie—or possibly something worse. On May 26, 2005, America Online, Incorporated released the results of its e-mail Addiction Survey. The survey asked respondents questions like: How often do you check personal e-mail at work? (Is too many times to count an acceptable answer?) Have you ever checked e-mail while in church? (If I went to church, I am sure I would.) Many people might find it surprising, but the survey discovered that most of the people surveyed rely on e-mail as much as they do on the telephone to keep in touch with family, friends, and associates (I rely on it much more). In addition, most of those surveyed spend about an hour a day on e-mail (only an hour? I laugh at these “light weights!”), and that 77% of e-mail users have more than one e-mail account (I have six! No, seven!) So, as one can easily see, e-mail has had a huge impact on the way in which we communicate with one another. There is no doubt in my mind it has had a huge impact in my life. This is probably where I should stand up and introduce myself, “Hi, my name is Michael, and I am an e-mailaholic.”