As email has evolved, we have come to surprisingly sparse consensus regarding the best and worst uses of this technology, and whether the technology itself can overcome its weaknesses over time. In the paragraphs below, I'll try to summarize what seem to me to be some interesting aspects of email, particularly as it relates to the phenomenon of information overload and some thorny privacy issues. Some of the technical advantages of email over communication alternatives were obvious early on. As a network medium, email disposes of transmission delays imposed by geographical distance. This enables sender and receiver to interact with their message autonomously and without distracting cross-talk.
Email enables users to schedule interrupts.
In one sense, email distractions are on-demand. Of course this may only delay the inevitable. More on that, below. Email is both paperless and archivable by default. Email can be very efficient and, in the context of desktop automation, is also very convenient.