Today, we have more tools to communicate than the time we have to actually use them. For those counting, we have phone (fixed and wireless), computer-based telephony (Skype etc.), mobile VoIP, SMS, instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook and of course, email. It is a surprise that we can find time to really talk to anyone!
The folks from Plantronics (s plt) have finished a new study called How We Work, which they’re going to release at our Mobilize 2010 conference held next Thursday in San Francisco about the future of the mobile Internet. The study has a couple of stats that jumped out at me, and highlighted our love-hate relationship with email.
Apparently, the use of email by professionals has increased 78 percent over the past five years. Nearly 83 percent surveyed use email as a primary communication tool for business, and nearly 57 percent say they are overwhelmed by the volume. Nearly half blame email for causing workplace relationship problems.
Isn’t it ironic? We love using the email and yet at the same time we hate it just as much!
Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub. req.):
Enabling the Web Work Revolution
Who are these people overwhelmed with email? I have never met a single person in the real world who talks about email overload; it seems mostly self-important people with blogs who complain the most.
It’s now a lot more fun with service games like Hashable!
Email is a boon but yes when your boyfrnd keeps buzzing with nonsense emails its a curse 🙂
Email Certainly is a boon. It’s just about how to learn to keep it’s volume under your control. It isn’t hard as it seems with the availability of tools like Taroby http://www.taroby.com
I’ve been able to keep the email volume down to about 75% with it.
I think there is indeed a problem with email overload, but it’s just a reflection of how the business world functions these days. Information flows easier and quicker and that gives us a higher agility, but it also increases the pressure.