Emails have ruined school for me, we are too available to each other. With the increased efficiency of technology, one might think I have more of a problem with texting or DMing on TikTok and Instagram. But, my problem is with how emails have ruined the educational community.
I am constantly checking my email, worried that I’ve missed an important meeting, class or announcement on campus. With email, we are so tuned in to the academic world at all times that school has become my life. For now, we’ll ignore the scourge that is spam emails. I don’t know how they got my information, but I would die happy if I never got another email.
I’m a writing tutor, and I’ve had people emailing me at 3 a.m. for a question about a philosophy paper. I’m not answering your question about utilitarianism in the wee hours of the morning. I’ll be on a nine mile run in the middle of the trails, and I’ll get a buzz on my watch telling me that I need to answer this email right now–yes, right now–about registering for a campus event.
Essentially, email means that the line between school life and personal life is blurred, and we are expected to be tuned in at all times in case a peer or professor needs an urgent response at the drop of the hat.
It is great that we can get announcements out in a timely manner. Cancelling class for inclement weather–a rarity, location changes for events and scheduling appointments ahead of time.
But that’s the rub, technology has given us the gift of too much convenience. Dropping in on a professor’s office hours feels like an imposition without an appointment, even if their syllabus says drop-in hours are welcome. We’ve normalized rigidity and pre-planning to the point where following the flow of the day feels unnatural.
This is not to say I’m destroying my computer and buying a flip phone yesterday. I need my devices to get work done, and at this point, there’s no way to succeed in college without technology. But, I think we should be more mindful of when and how we are communicating with our community.
Do we really need to email that professor or student so late at night when we know they won’t answer you right away? Are posters made on recycled paper enough to get someone’s attention, or do we need to send another email that will end up buried in someone’s inbox? Let’s think before we send another pointless email.