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1,573 emails in 2021

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

The collapse of email as a communications medium proceeds at a furious pace. Last year I showed some figures for my inboxes:

2017 18,000+

2018 11,800

2019 8,900

2020 3,790

2021 1,573

The rates of decline are:

2018 34%

2019 25%

2020 57%

2021 58%

I also wrote: "I wonder if I can get it to below 2,000 in 2021." Well, I certainly did that and then some. The difference between 2017 and 2021 is 91%! I won't even bother with the usual clean-up that I do at year's end, wiping out ads and transaction confirmations and so on.

I attribute this to three things:

1. The pandemic. The pre-pandemic numbers showed steady decline but the pandemic years have been in free fall.

2. Getting older. Partially due to #1, I barely socialize.

3. Having moved to Japan. I've more or less severed all ties with everyone back in Canada.

4. Moving to IM. I am now on several instant messaging platforms: Line, Telegram, SMS, Slack, and Discord.

5. The massive unsubscribe mission I've been on for years, now.