E-Mail

An e-mail (short for “electronic mail”) is a message sent electronically via computer networks. It reaches recipients without any action required on their part, and they can acknowledge it at any time and in any place, independent from the time and place of dispatch. An e-mail can be sent to one or more recipients at the same time and is generally structured like a letter, although simpler forms (e.g., lacking salutations) are often used for convenience. E-mail has become an integral part of office work since the commercialization of the Internet in the early 1990s. Employees may spend between [Page 229]one and three hours a day reading, writing, and organizing their e-mail. Because of increasing levels of globalization and internationalization, members of a work group are not necessarily co-located; instead, they may work from home or from offices in different parts of a city or different countries. E-mail and other forms of virtual communication enable them to work together, independent from spatial conditions. Although most office workers today could not imagine doing their jobs without it, e-mail is still a relatively new form of communication and is prone to causing misunderstandings and sometimes even conflict, if used incorrectly or inefficiently. The specific characteristics of e-mail bear several implications for its utilization in a work context.

There are three basic characteristics that define e-mail. First, e-mail is a form of virtual communication, as opposed to face-to-face interaction. Communication is called virtual when two (or more) people situated in different places communicate with one another. This is usually achieved by using information and communication technology, such as video conferencing, messenger programs, or e-mail. Furthermore, since an e-mail is stored on a server upon sending until it can be delivered, the recipient does not have to be online at the time the e-mail is sent. It will be automatically delivered to the recipient's e-mail account, where it can be retrieved at any time. This type of online communication is known as asynchronous communication. The third specifying characteristic of e-mail is that no action is required on the recipient's part. Hence, it is “pushed,” rather than “pulled,” information. Pulled information, such as a message posted to an electronic bulletin board, has to be actively retrieved in order to access the intended information. An e-mail reaches the recipient's mailbox automatically.

In face-to-face interaction, communication processes are circular, rather than linear, and messages are encoded in different media. The sender has the possibility to readjust tone or inflection, as well as gestures and facial expression, in reaction to the recipient's response. In the virtual communication process of sending and reading an e-mail, however, the sender, upon hitting the “send” button, cedes all control to the recipient. Although the e-mail is automatically pushed into the mailbox, the recipient has to interpret its content without any additional socioemotional cues, such as intonation or body language. This bears some potential for misunderstandings. Because of the impersonal nature of e-mail, conveying complex or emotional contents can prove difficult and may lead to confusion and misunderstandings. For the same reason, rhetorical devices such as irony or sarcasm do not transport well in e-mails. It is therefore important to be precise in conveying a message.

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