Post #4- The Email

Electronic Mail

How it Started

The e-mail, or "electronic mail", is a technology that connects our world in so many ways, but it did not start that way. In 1971, Ray Tomlinson is credited for invented the program that we know today as the email. Tomlinson was working for ARPANET a government funded project that became the first public packet-switched computer network. The email was originally just a way for people within the same system to send messages back and fourth on computers. It was nothing like what it is today.  The reason Tomlinson began creating this program was because researchers and gamers needed a faster way to communicate. According to the Guinness World Records, the email was to replace having to make a phone call. Someone always had to be there to answer the phone, but the gaming community was not reliable to do so. The email made 

communication more attainable. Tomlinson is also credited for having created the famous “@” symbol. The symbol was used to separate the users name from their location. There has been a lot of change within the email since its creation over forty years ago, but the @ symbol has stayed consistent. Although, Tomlinson is not the only one up to be credited for this creation. In 1977, Dr. Shiva Auuadurai was fourteen-years-old and claims that he created the true first version of the e-mail. This is still a debate today, who set the groundwork for the e-mail we know to this day. 

The Impact

The impact of the email is more than we even realize today. Not only has it connected people across hemispheres, but it has evolved the way we work as a society. Although it may not all be positive as email marketing and phishing began in 1978, it has impacted our world in tremendous ways. Email marketing has created a way to communicate with several people, now thousands, at all once. Although most people see it more as a burden than a blessing these days, it is still a huge innovative step- to be able to send out the same communication to thousands of people at one instant. In 1993, AOL adopted the email, creating free addresses for all people initiating the coming of webmail. Webmail just means that the mail is sent from a web browser as opposed to a desktop computer. This terminology is just a way to classify where the email originates from.  

The email also opened the doors to online communities. The chatrooms that are a part of video games or group chats of likeminded people are all examples of the evolution of the email. This was a way for people who may not have even met face-to-face, to communicate and share their thoughts. This is a type of asynchronous communication became crucial in 2020. Once the pandemic hit, having this technology was a vital part of our societies survival.  It allowed for the workplace to continue, from home. It kept people connected, inspired future innovations, and allowed communication. You may not see it, but the email has shaped our society in so many ways. 

What would have happened if there was no email and one of those researchers had missed a call back in 1971, what could our society have missed out on without this technology?