Email—the good, the bad, and the ugly

In this article the author, summarizes some interesting aspects of electronic mail, particularly in relation to phenomenon of information overload and some thorny privacy issues. Some of the technical advantages of email over communication alternatives are given in the article. Email can be as fast as needed, it disposes of transmission delays imposed by geographical distance. Sender and receiver can interact with their message autonomously and without distracting cross-talk. Email enables users to schedule interrupts, it is paperless and archivable by default. Along with so many advantages email has a darker side. The convenience of email encourages abuse at the interpersonal level. Email extensions encourage irresponsible mass-mailings. Email may lead to communication slavery. The dangers of email do not end with information overload. The problem is with the transmitted binary, executable files and represents a fairly significant security hole and a potential source for new wave of computer viruses.