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It seems like a million years ago, but it's been just a month since Eliot Spitzer fell from grace. The man who is fodder for everyone (deservedly so) once said: “Never talk when you can nod and never nod when you can wink and never write an email because it's death.”
The nod/wink/talk stuff turned out to be bullshit, but email he was so-o right about – he kind of stole my line – but for less deadly reasons than the ones Eliot might have been on about.
I just finished a year of writing a book, “2011: Trendspotting” (see www.Laermer.com for more), in which I discuss email slowly becoming death for communicators.
Calling it “email is death” syndrome, or EID, I see the majority realizing that our email is just useless blabber and we’d rather talk with people we know and like and avoid the spammers who won’t leave us alone (we’re Twittering as we read this, right?). It will be replaced gradually in the next few years by new types of devices that will give us control over who bugs us.
Take a deep breath, it’ll be fine.
According to a Pew Internet Study of 05, almost half of Web-using teens (“the future of our world,” yikes) prefer to use IM instead of emailing.
How ridiculous was the moment that I, a long-known-about email addict, realized that the person I emailed the most, my second in command at RLM, left me a note and I wasn’t sure who “me” was. Unrecognizable handwriting is unacceptable — and dastardly weird.
Question: Do you write people or do you communicate with them? Probably the former. So what's that mean?
Every single email –no exaggeration—is junk, even the ones you want – junk. I am shocked at how much people send us that we don’t want. Do they think we could possibly like them even less?
In 2007 Slate mused: “It's not hard to imagine a future communications command center where, on a single screen, you'll be able to choose between sending an e-mail, instant message, status note, or blog post—or sending all of them at once—and then have all those bits of text neatly and securely archived.”
I think differently. Pretty soon you’ll be using devices carrying pre-approved mail; anything and everything will be felt less crucial. These will be here in the next five years, because as soon as the New Toy Feeling of near-instant messages from strangers becomes as annoying as an unheard message on a voice mailbox, handy portable machines that will assign particular people the “right” to send you a note to you. They won’t just do it. You won’t let them.
On the second, more complicated hand will be inbox creations so that companies can alert you to news or commentary (or even good deals) that will arrive on your desktop for you to see – when you want to, or if. For instance, CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, hosts billions of products, hangers-on, publicity seekers and their competitors in Vegas every January and so iut offered a “communication tool,” a CES Alert Icon appearing in your system tray on a desktop and notify the password-protected recipient of deadlines and important announcements directly from CES. It looked cool but like everything else I had to negotiate access. Even though I was sent an invitation, after installing the mega-app I got “CES Alert is unable to identify you. Please right-click on the CES Alert icon at the bottom of your screen (in the system tray) and select Login Setup. Enter the requested information.” I’d entered it as the freakazoid installed. Hours later, I’m wondering if anything works as advertised
All of this is going to happen whether we like it or not. We won’t get as much buzz about ourselves but like any junkie will tell you eventually the cravings to read about “you” will cease. Many of our worst habits have been formed via email.
For instance, we have learned to be an insanely passive aggressive citizenry –I’m the worst– and the pre-okayed carrier (name is TBD but maybe The Generator?) will only be for friends or those we truly want to talk to…so it’s going to be a device for good and not evil. So the new little machines will not one of those “write me and I’ll make sure you are not stopped by my Spaminator” type devices. The tiny little machine will compute only those we tell it is okay.
Also it will be encrypted in every way man knows , so no one will be able to usurp it, even at work. Ha! Those bosses like me who want to know everything will not be able to kill the cat who wants to know everything.
Finally, when only those you enjoy talking to are talking to you you’ll be more caring. Once again you’ll begin to use language with verve and some sense of responsibility--like when you first learned it in grade school. You’ll treat your native tongue with some style—like the bitch it wants to be.
Comments? More on this? Anyone disagree? Let's fight it out!
O2 XDA Mini S uploaded by James Cridland
7 comments:
My opinion is that people have forgotten how to write... and don't read anymore.
This is a great blog by the way.
I completely agree. With thousands of social networking sites that allow you to hear from only those you care to talk to, what use will we have for our old email accounts?
Interesting post. I use facebook and that's about it in terms of social networking. The settings are set so that only my friends can see my profile and pictures, etc. The key for me is that I control, in as much as it's possible, who communicates with me.
I don't use twitter because I have no interest in letting people know that I'm eating a sandwich for lunch, or that I'm a bit stiff after training last night. I rarely use linked in, most of my new business contacts come from either current clients or attendance at events where I get to meet people face to face.
I'd certainly be interested in using a system that would allow me to keep the majority of my online activities relatively private. Having said that, on the odd occasion a piece of junk mail will be relevant. There are e-mails that I receive that turn out to be helpful. So I'd probably keep one account that was open access rather than cut off all access.
I agree with Tom about Twitter and Linked In. As for e-mail, I just don't see myself letting go. I love to visit yahoo or hotmail and handle one message at a time and treat it like gift without all the distracting accessories that some of the social networking sites bring.
As for privacy, and this is WAY off topic, but marketers for companies are starting to use cell phones for texting about special deals and sign-up fees. That's one thing I'd like to turn off all access to.
Interesting take. Communication forms are ever-chaning, but this seems to be a big step in a direction I am not sure is a good way to go. The scariest part of all this is the "forgetfulness" of the English language and spelling. The IM/text language is horrific.
You are quite right, a growing number of people, especially young generations are switching from traditional email communication to diverse social networking such as MSN, Twitter, etc. But I think emails still domain in formal communication level, i.e. internal communication within an organisation; B2B communication.
Besides, no one wants the boss or even colleagues know his/her personal life that much since social networking makes our lives much more transparent.
The biggest thing I have learned about e-mail and blogs -- is don't go there. Once it's electronic it can be forwarded and bastardized. I keep my comments to myself in work e-mails and personal e-mails are about what I would say to someone's face.
It's a good rule that works for me.
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