How Emails Changed the Way Humans Communicate

How would you connect with your friends and family without the gadgets and technology available today? Texting or sending an email is so common that it’s hard to imagine a time when they didn’t exist ⏤ but it wasn’t that long ago! Let’s take a look at how emails have developed over the years and how they have facilitated communication. 

Having an email is essential in the modern world, similar to having a phone number and postal address. It started as a simple communication tool and has transformed the way the world communicates. Email serves as a reliable source of storage, collaboration, planning tool, task organizer, etc. Across the world, people use email every day in a variety of ways, such as:

• Instantly communicating with people globally for free
• Connecting with multiple people simultaneously
• Sending an automatic response to messages 
• Tracking and saving interactions (personal and professional)
• Exchanging and transferring  information without disturbing others at any time 

 It is much more than merely serving as a medium of correspondence. People now use emails to: 

• Share attachments (pictures, files, documents, etc.)
• Collaboratively work with others in virtual environments
• Automate mail sending, storage, etc., by implementing rules
• Store and utilize the search option to retrieve archived data
• Integrate appointments and reminders into the built-in email calendar feature
• Maintain a thread (continuation) of conversations between multiple individuals

It is practically impossible to imagine life without using email as a speedy, versatile, and effective form of communication.

Interesting Facts Related to the Development of Email

• 1965 – The first email was created and sent at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 
• 1971 – Ray Tomlinson, an American computer programmer, developed the first electronic mail / messaging system. Tomlinson created the medium to send messages between machines intended to reach only specific users. He enabled this by introducing the at sign (@) between the email user’s name and their internet address. 
• 1978⎼1977 – Common usage email standardization was initiated by Arpanet (The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) and DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). 
• 1978 – Eric Schmidt proposed the idea of Berknet, which later laid the foundation for intranet services. 
• 1988 – Microsoft Mail was introduced, leading to the eventual development of the Microsoft Outlook mail service.
• 1989 – CompuServe became the first American internet service provider, offering internet access via dial-up phone connections. CompuServe also enabled users to send emails through its exclusive email service.
• 1990 – Lotus Notes, an email service, was launched and later acquired by IBM.
• 1992 – Users were provided the option to send attachments along with their emails.
• 1993 – Outlook email, AOL (America Online) internet services are launched.
• 1996 – Launch of Hotmail.
• 1997 – Launch of Yahoo.
• 2007 – Apple released its first iPhone, allowing users to access emails on their phones.

Features of Email and How it Relates to Technology and Coding:

The advent of email has revolutionized the way the world communicates. This pen and paper, quill, and parchment alternative of the 21st century is used for rewriting communication protocols. Traditional mail is used rarely for the occasional personalized thank-you note or annual greetings. Emails provide multiple features that help you organize and track your communication conveniently. Here is how email has eased your communication practices:

• You can send out multiple emails regardless of the distance and number of recipients. 
• You can set up the option to send automated responses when traveling or unavailable.
• Your emails can be tracked easily with time stamps and date details. You can also monitor the history of your email communication this way.
• You can share multiple files, photos, documents, and attachments simultaneously. 
• You can schedule your email for a certain time so that it reaches your recipient accordingly.

All of the above features would not have been possible without email services that are coded in specialized programming languages. The core of any email application lies in the programming languages used to build it. Over time, programming languages and coding practices have evolved too. The initial email code was written in Fortran, which has now been overtaken by programming languages such as Ajax, Python, etc. The most commonly used programming languages for emails include Java, Python, C++, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. These powerful and improved programming languages are feature-rich and help cater to the evolving demands of email users. The advancements you observe in email storage, page-loading, etc., are only possible because of the versatile coding applications. 

Email of the Future

• Context-driven emails will become the norm by using a user’s existing environment and making personalized emails more pertinent.
• Emails will have complementary chatbots to enable activities like sharing confirmation emails, implementing automatic workflow, etc.
• Machine Learning and AI, using predictive intelligence, will enable the right content to reach the appropriate individual at a precise time.
• The tone of emails is intended to shift from formal to a more conversational style of communication.
• The email will become more interactive by providing you with a 3D experience compared to your current 2D experience.
• Email interfaces will be highly customizable and will allow you to focus on aspects that support your needs. 
• Email of the future will include enhanced visual interfaces, making them more effective, efficient, and less distracting.

Conclusion

With more than a billion global users, email remains one of the main modes of electronic communication today. Its demand and popularity have increased over the years, with a range of email providers mushrooming over the internet. Email platforms provide various services and benefits, including junk mail filtering, personalized mail, scheduling facilities, etc. Email is one source of electronic communication that is accessible from any device that connects to the internet. In the past nearly half a decade since its inception, email has revolutionized the way we communicate. It has transformed our communication styles and preferences forever.

Did this blog by BYJU’S FutureSchool help you fathom the enormous impact email has had on our lives? Did it make you nostalgic for the lost art of traditional letter writing?