The Unspoken Truth About Emails

There are some days where I truly believe that emails are the bane of my existence. I know that sounds dramatic, but I am willing to bet that I am not alone in this struggle for motivation to go through my inbox. 

There’s so much editing with emails.

One of the major problems with emails is that they allow people to edit themselves behind a screen. In a conversation, we notice body language, and we don’t have time to analyze every single word that comes out of our mouths. In emails, we are not having authentic conversations because we give our responses extra examination  before we send them. For all of you out there who read your emails at least twice before you send them, I’m right there with you.

A full inbox is intimidating.

Ever wake up one morning with ten unread emails just sitting in your inbox? That can be a pretty common feeling most days. Another problem with emails is that they pile up. When you have a long list of emails to read surrounding different subjects, it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on. Plus, that’s a lot of blue light on your eyes while trying to organize your thoughts. Although going through your inbox is a smaller task than we sometimes think, it still feels like a pain to do.

Letters are so much more exciting.

I’m rarely excited to see another email in my inbox, but I am excited whenever I see a letter in my mailbox. Letters have become really important to me since coming to Notre Dame because they allow me to have a more personal connection with my friends from home. You can’t edit a letter like you can an email, so you’re able to see a genuine stream of consciousness when you read ink on a piece of paper instead of pixels on a screen. In my humble opinion, letters are severely underrated. 

Now, I understand the need to read emails. Emails allow fast communication for businesses, schools and your personal life. Don’t get me wrong–I read emails, especially important ones. However, I think it’s time that we have a serious conversation in society about how no one loves emails. In fact, I think they give everyone headaches from time to time. With all that being said, I am happy to be a part of the dialogue revealing the annoyances of our society’s inclinations toward sending emails.

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