It's obviously grown. It started off just being the @AOL.com and @Hotmail.com accounts, and now almost everyone has a @gmail.com. There is talk about a @facebook.com becoming a reality soon. Every company has their own e-mail. I have my own e-mail (patrick@patrickwentling.com - I never use it so don't e-mail me)
Now we've gotten e-mail overload. Most people have at least 3 accounts. Even more that they have but don't use. We can get e-mails sent to our plethora of devices that it's become spam. I'll receive an e-mail at a time I can't immediately respond to. I then tend to forget about it - which defeats the purpose of e-mail. I can't imagine I'm alone in this process. In my internships I've gotten responses a few days later with the message "sorry, I forgot to respond right away."
We expect e-mail's to warrant instant response. They aren't necessarily doing that anymore. We're becoming much more demanding and short term. If I really needed something from a co-worker, I would probably send a text to their cell-phone. It may not say everything I will want, but I know it yields a faster response rate.
My other problem with e-mail is how the system creates dysfunctional communication. Someone sitting right next to me will send an e-mail but not say a word in person. It's just common courtesy to speak. The art of speaking using your mouth is not dead, but e-mail is trying to cripple it.
Same can be said for text messages too - and I'm just as guilty. For example, I'll text a girl before I call her. Don't know why or how, it's just what we've become comfortable with. It's the tragedy of our generation. We've lost normal communication abilities. We're in constant communication but can't communicate like generations past because of the technological advancements.
Right now I'm finding e-mails frustrating in the process of applying for jobs. I'll send e-mails to careers@company.com with a well written cover letter and resume, and will not hear ANYTHING. I'm sure these e-mails get overflowed with applicants. Some over-qualified, some-under. I'm not sure everyone can be given a fair chance because of the huge pool of applicants. I still believe that every applicant warrants a response - yes or no towards the position. It helps build a positive professional relationship - even if the answer is no.
My point is that e-mail used to be a great tool. But we have evolved. We need something that's even more instant and satisfies our ever-growing ADD mentality.
