Why was email invented?

Colleagues,
 
MVP: Email is broken.
 
Email, as a system, is broken. It does not work as intended.
 
One of the big problems is that email has come to embody urgent leadership. 
 
Email feels important and urgent, but it is rarely urgent and frequently unimportant.
 
I asked ChatGPT what the purpose of email was and what jumped out was that it was designed to improve written communications like letters and faxes. The entire ChatGPT response is at the end of this email.
 
And yet, despite knowing better, I check my email multiple times per day.
 
Why?
 
Honestly, I don’t know:

• If someone really needs me urgently, they text or call.
• If they don’t text or call, then even if it was urgent (it never is) it wasn’t important. If it was important, they would text or call.
• The faster I respond to email, the more I condition people to expect an immediate response, which is not what email was designed for.

 
Like the parking meter example from Monday, email is a solution which has brought its own set of problems.
 
Today’s intention: Tally how many times you check your email. Track the number of emails that are urgent and important AND which required a written response instead of a conversation.
  
According to ChatGPT… Email was invented to provide a convenient and efficient way to exchange messages and information electronically over the internet. The specific reasons for its invention include:

1. Communication: Email was created as a way to send and receive messages electronically, enabling people to communicate quickly and easily across different locations and time zones. It has become a widely used method for personal and professional communication, allowing people to send text messages, documents, images, and other types of data to others with just a few clicks.
2. Efficiency: Email was designed to streamline communication and replace traditional methods such as postal mail and fax, which can be slower and more cumbersome. Email allows for near-instantaneous delivery of messages, making it an efficient means of communication, especially for business and professional purposes where timely communication is important.
3. Cost-effectiveness: Email is a cost-effective way to communicate, as it eliminates the need for physical postage and paper-based communication. This has made it a popular choice for businesses and individuals alike, as it allows for communication without incurring significant costs.
4. Record-keeping: Email provides a way to maintain a digital record of communication, which can be useful for archiving, referencing, and searching for past messages. This can be beneficial for business and legal purposes, as well as for personal organization.
5. Global Connectivity: Email was invented to facilitate communication across different geographical locations and time zones. It has enabled people to connect and communicate with others from around the world, fostering global connectivity and facilitating international communication.

Overall, email was invented as a convenient, efficient, cost-effective, and globally accessible means of electronic communication, and it has become an indispensable tool for communication in today's digital age.

Cheers!

​Frederick