I’d like to add that I believe that email has also dulled how I write and receive information. I once found it very easy to express myself, but then it became more difficult when email entered the picture. Email is very similar to the web in the way that you described it: there is a certain feeling of informality and impermanence, yet at the same time when used for business or “serious” communication what you can say can have huge impact.

One thing I’ve noticed about email, and I have seen the same with the web, is that there is a tendency to send email with knee jerk reactions to something. “This is what I think or know now given the facts I have” although email is usually framed as “this is what I think or know.”

If someone had written a report or a letter they were mailing, they might have researched a little more as they wrote, or held off on certain statements. The tendency however is to embrace the immediacy of the message and shoot something out as fast a possible. This compromises both the message and the understanding of the topic being discussed.

This is also due to an increased pressure to respond to email. I remember when email was something that you got too when you had the time. It was a little bit of a blend between getting a voicemail and a letter through the mail. If you were away from your computer, then you were “out” and your email account stored the messages until you had the chance to read them. This was back when AOL played a sound that announced, “you’ve got mail.”

But now the burden is on the recipient to review their email and then respond. But, how do you respond? By replying with the first thing you think of and as quickly as possible. This continues a cycle. In a way, the act of sending a message has almost become as important as the message itself.

So now companies are switching to enterprise social media (esm) platforms which cut down on the volume of email and helps to retain information in one location. I think they are super valuable. But there is a danger of an esm feeling too much like Facebook and users continuing the tendency to write shallow, short messages just for the sake of producing a message.

It helps that there are platforms like Medium and Slack which encourage long form communication through their interface. It is also helpful to have thought provoking articles like yours to respond to.