When Gmail was introduced in 2004, it brought about a significant change in the management of email by offering a seemingly boundless space for storage. At that time, most paid services provided only a few megabytes, but Google offered a whole gigabyte for free, which was a considerable amount then. The author, like many others, switched to Gmail in 2005 and has continued using it ever since.
Over the years, Gmail has become the primary email application for the author, who has learned to personalize it according to their needs. Customized rules have been established to organize emails with labels like Conventions and Books. Important messages are marked with a star to revisit later, and bill reminders are “snoozed” to ensure timely payments. While keeping up with Gmail’s evolving features, the author expressed disappointment when Google’s Inbox app was discontinued.
Gmail has continually added new features, some of which the author finds bothersome. The autocomplete feature, for instance, suggests words or phrases for emails, which can disrupt thought processes. The inclusion of advertisements at the top of the email list, despite the author’s lack of interest in such offerings, is another irritant. Furthermore, the constant prompts to try out Google’s AI features are considered unnecessary by the author, who prefers to write emails independently.
The author currently manages eight Gmail accounts for various purposes, including personal use, business communications for The Verge, app testing, past freelance work, and an account with an unknown origin. Recently, three accounts were deleted after exploring methods to locate old and forgotten accounts.
The author’s email journey began long before Gmail, with initial experiences on platforms like CompuServe in the late 1980s. Stored on several old hard drives, past emails remain untouched and private, not stored in the cloud, making them accessible only upon deliberate decision to retrieve and review them.
Before the era of cloud-based email services like Gmail and Yahoo Mail, email was often accessed through paid services or closed networks. Email applications like Pine, Eudora, Pegasus Mail, or Thunderbird were used to download emails directly onto a computer. This traditional method ensured privacy as emails resided solely on personal devices without being scanned for marketing purposes. However, storage limitations necessitated routine deletion of emails from servers to avoid reaching maximum capacity.
Cloud-based services like Gmail have thrived due to their convenience, offering extensive storage and ease of access. This accessibility allows users to retrieve years’ worth of communication effortlessly. Reflecting on past emails, the author could quickly locate conversations with their mother, highlighting the benefits of digital storage as opposed to the more time-consuming process of accessing older emails stored on physical hard drives.
While nostalgic about the email processes before Gmail, the author acknowledges the efficiency and accessibility provided by modern cloud-based services. Despite the potential trade-offs in privacy, the author considers the possibility of uploading cherished old emails to the cloud for ease of access among family members, though it remains a personal dilemma. Some contemporaries may find humor in the notion of reverting to pre-Gmail methods, yet the author occasionally wonders about the valuable content preserved on those forgotten hard drives, which will always remain private and solely theirs.
