E-mail commands too much of our time, however, it is an essential form of communication. The digital society we live in demands that we live at an incredibly fast pace. There is no longer two days available to wait for a letter to reach its destination. The immediacy offered by the internet and the ability for e-mails to reach their destination within seconds instead of days has changed the way the world functions. Some may say it has only caused more stress in our lives. When you receive an e-mail, the person who sent it knows that you received it and they often expect an immediate response. This puts an incredible amount of pressure on people to be constantly checking their e-mails and to be constantly responding to them. The constant inflow of messages can be incredibly distracting as well as time consuming.
Without the ability to access e-mail my life would be a little less stressful in one respect. I would not feel the constant urge to check my inbox every few minutes on the whim that something terribly important might have happened since the last time I checked it. However, in another respect I would feel more alone and less connected to the people I know but do not get to see in person. E-mail allows me to stay in touch with my family and friends back at home, and I am grateful for the speed at which I can communicate using e-mail.
I agree with you in the sense that life would be less stressful without email. For me, I don't feel stressed from not being able to check my inbox, but I do get a frequent urge to check my email just because it offers a break from homework and studying. The stress comes when i actually check my inbox and see 20+ unread messages. I always tell myself I'm only going to check my email for a few minutes, but a few often turns in to 45 as I see important reminders and things I need to respond to. I, too, am grateful for the speed at which I can communicate using email, I just am less grateful of the frequency with which I have to communicate.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the fact that email has changed the world and has added a new level of stress due to the fact it's instant. People do expect a fast response with email and therefore you do need to check your mail all the time. That was a very interesting point that I never thought of before. I also agree with your point that email offers the ability to stay connected with people you don't see often. I know I use it talk to my parents which is so much easier than talking on the phone. Good post!
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