Emails & Instant Messaging

In today's society, individuals rely on email and instant messaging as a part of their everyday lives. Such accessibility allows us to communicate with people all over the world. However, the increasing development of messaging has its impacts.

Email

In 1965, the first electronic message was sent. It was invented at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in their Compatible Time-Sharing System. The system allowed people to share files and messages through a central disk.

In 1971, Ray Tomlinson invented the ability to send emails between different computers using the internet, Arpanet. At the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Tomlinson introduced the "@" sign. The sign allowed users to send targeted messages. By 1977, emailing was finalized, including the to and from fields and the ability to forward emails to nonrecipients.

Microsoft Mail arrived in 1988 for the Mac OS. This allowed users of Apple's AppleTalk Networks to communicate with each other. An updated version of Microsoft Mail was released in 1991, including platforms such as DOS and Windows.

Spam mail started in the early stages of Arpanet. In the 1990s, spam was sent across the internet, targeting message boards and email addresses. The attachment was implemented as part of the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions protocol. It allowed users to attach files and began the issue of limited inbox storage.

In between 1993 to 2004, multiple email browsers were established, including Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, and Gmail. Apple created the first iPhone in 2007, which introduced mobile email. Email eventually became a tool everyone used to send mass messaging and became a great benefit and a burden.

Although email allowed individuals to communicate with each other, emailing became time-consuming and disallowed people to disconnect. Technology triggers the same area of the brain that cocaine does, making it addictive. Emailing is an excellent tool for fast client communication and reducing mail and shipping costs.

Instant Messaging

The foundation of Instant Messaging was created when email was. Instant messaging officially became established in 1971 by Murray Turnoff as part of the Emergency Management Information Systems and Reference Index, a service to the government. 

Its purpose was to help aid the US Government by exchanging information during emergencies. The first chat system was called "Party Line." Users had to log on to the same computer and read chats through Teletype units.

America Online (AOL) was the first large-scale form of instant messaging, established "buddy lists," a list of friends, relatives, and additional acquaintances online using AOL, emerging into AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). 

The popularity of instant messaging and the internet grew in immense demand. By the early 2000s, multiple instant messaging services existed on different computer platforms, including Windows and Mac OS. Social media services increased rapidly, enhancing communication for everyone. 

Messages can be sent instantly from all over the world. It's accessible by mobile phones, allowing instant messaging to travel with us. Although instant messaging is a valuable tool, it does have harmful effects. Instant messaging has created addictions, less face-to-face communication, and decreased productivity.