I can’t put my finger on why, but I cringe whenever I open my e-mail. I’m not sure why I react this way. I rarely check my non-work e-mail, and when I do, I never look forward to seeing how many e-mails I have in my inbox. Sometimes when I have to send an email, I sign-in, quickly click “compose” without looking at my inbox, write as brief an e-mail as possible, hit “send”, and logoff as quickly as possible.
I remember a time long, long ago when I had AOL email, I used to love hearing that wonderful, grammatically incorrect voice say, “You’ve got mail!” Whenever I didn’t hear it, I would die a little inside. But that was many, many spams ago.
I don’t think it’s because I get a lot of spam, though. Because I don’t get nearly as much as I used to and deleting them is a relatively painless task. And you can tell spam right away because of the subject line, so I don’t think that’s it.
I don’t think it’s because I get a flood of e-mails that I have to reply to. I get maybe one or two e-mails a day in my personal e-mail… not like at work where e-mail is used like instant messaging…
Co-worker: Subj: Lunch plans – Hey, what are you doing for lunch?
Me: Subj: Re: Lunch plans – I’m probably just going to fix a sandwich.
Co-worker: Subj: Re: Lunch plans – What kind?
Me: Subj: Re: Lunch plans – Turkey and swiss.
Co-worker: Subj: Re: Lunch plans – Let me ask what others are doing
Co-worker: Subj: Fwd: Re: Lunch plans – Anyone going out to get something for lunch?
Co-worker2: Subj: Re: Fwd: Re: Lunch plans – I’m going to the deli, want anything?
Co-worker: Subj: Re: Fwd: Re: Lunch plans – Ooh, yeah, get me a cold-cut combo.
Co-worker2: Subj: Re: Fwd: Re: Lunch plans – Ok
Co-worker: Subj: Re: Fwd: Re: Lunch plans – Okay
Me: Subj: Re: Fwd: Re: Lunch plans – Guys, do we have to do this over email? Our offices are right next to each other…
BTW, I think it’s hilarious that somewhere on our e-mail servers backup hard drives there are countless e-mails like this saved for decades to come.
Maybe it’s because e-mail has gotten so impersonal. Maybe it’s because it’s just become a way for people to task other people to do stuff that they don’t want to do themselves. Maybe I’m just yearning for a simpler life where people actually talk to you face-to-face, and things don’t have to get done RIGHT NOW, and being on facebook or tweeting or sending off a mass e-mail does not equate to social interaction.
Am I alone in feeling this way about e-mail? Is it a personality thing?
I completely agree. -I’m the GM of my church fellowship and by the time I check my mail there is an average of 25 replies in one thread from a committee of just 5 people. (Most of which are 2-3 word replies) -What happened to actual phone calls or a sit-down meeting?Somehow our ‘Skype’ meetings don’t feel any more satisfying either.
i like email
I’m the same way about listening to voicemail: I just hate it! All I really want to do is just talk to you, not listen to a message of your voice.
I get a sense of dread every time I get a voicemail notification. I HATE talking on the phone and prefer to communicate via email. Maybe I’m anti-social.
i love checking my e-mails! i’m on it 24/7. in fact, wish i could hook up my work email to my phone too, lol!
so true. email/internet interactions have become so convoluted rather than giving us real relationships. Yet it has given new mediums of expression that would not have happened face-to-face and created communities and methods of communication that is, yes complex, as complex as our lives.
No, it’s not a personality thing. It’s an age thing. I certainly don’t spend as much time writing email like I used to. I think I mostly use email to forward information about an event or reply to one. As far as the email I receive, it’s mostly from FaceBook for the NYC subway system. LOL. Oh, and some school-related announcements. Email to me is about information, not social interaction.