After seeing this post from Zen Habits (great website, by the way) I read the related article about President-Elect Obama and the possibility that he may have to give up using email due to security reasons. And of course the question asked was: could YOU live without email?
I answered this question on Zen Habits yesterday but I’ve been giving it some more thought and I realized just how much a part of my life email (and the computer) really is. I rarely use the phone for conversations except with the CPA and even then, they’re usually short. It’s not that talking on the phone is expensive with all of the great cell phone plans available, it’s just not as convenient or as quick. And let’s face it, sometimes it’s just easier. If you don’t have a lot of time to have a great conversation on the phone (and who has a lot of time anymore?) then it’s easier to get an email stream going. Not as personal, granted, but definitely quick and easy.
Of course email has its downsides too – you have to wait for a reply which may take time, you have to have access to some kind of computer device and internet service, and the tone of the email can be misconstrued.
But even with these downsides, I admit I would be hardpressed to give up my email. I tried it once before, actually. When we were on our honeymoon last year, we travelled overseas and did not have access to the internet for six days. Believe it or not, I survived. I didn’t panic or have withdrawals even though we were in the middle of the ocean with no communication with the outside world. In fact, I found it was rather enjoyable not to constantly hit refresh on my phone (I use the Iphone but had previously used the Blackberry) just to check for new messages. By the end of the journey, I was beginning to think I was cured of my email/internet addiction.
After six days of being at sea, we docked and headed into town. And what’s the first thing we did? Stopped at a coffee shop, hooked up to the internet, and checked our email.
I guess I wasn’t as cured as I thought.
What about you, could you live without your email?
Related Posts:
9 comments