Let's do a quick tour of how communication has changed over the last 500 years.
-
In Britain in 1500, only 5-10% of the population could read or write. Wow! What did they do. They probably talked to each other – sharing stories in person.
-
Postcards took off in 1871, resulting in what TIME magazine called an ‘epidemic’.
-
In 1840, the average American sent 3 letters a year; in 1900, that number rose to 69.
-
The telegraph changed everything. A message could be sent across the Atlantic in a matter of hours rather than the 5 weeks it took for 'snail mail' to arrive.
-
This peaked in 1945 with 240 million telegrams a year.
-
In 2007, just over 60 years later, emails globally hit 35 trillion (10,000x higher than the peak of the telegram). Email communication is easier, faster (pretty much instantaneous) and cheaper (basically 'free').
Email has completely changed the way we communicate and has made life easier in countless ways … BUT it's come at a price.
Next: The Challenges of Email.
[Source: The Tyranny of Email: The 4,000 Year Journey to Your Inbox by John Freeman]