2020: Electronic Mail

Loan Nguyen


The year is 2020. The United States Postal Services has downsized to 60% of its size in 2000. The rise of email has slowed down the demand for door to door delivery causing dramatic cutbacks, causing stamp prices to soar. In 1978, a first class postage stamp costs $.13. Now, in 2020, it costs $3.00 for a first class stamp.

Over 25 years ago, email was made accessible for anyone and everyone. E-mail was primarily used for personal use and in the business world. Slowly more and more people, young and old, began to catch on to this new form of communication. Conventional methods of conversations have evolved into different ways of conveying expression and feelings via the Internet.

Hand written letters now can be submitted and opened through your inbox. The invention of the 8x10 "Notepad" allows what you write on this notepad and then transfer it onto your computer ready to email. This invention resulted on the premise that electronic mail was becoming too unpersonal, making us all seem like robots.

Technology today has allowed not only words to be tranferred from network to network, video greetings are now the norm. Criticized for losing the personal touch of emailing, video greetings and messaging allows recipients to see and hear their senders. This new technology has been well received by all but especially by the hearing impaired and the blind. Of course, traditional emails with writing is still an option for those who are camera shy.

Government has gotten involved as well. An small email tax has been imposed on each email sent but the cost is still cheaper than using 'snail mail.' This tax is used to provide better services against spam and junk mail. Offenders of sending mass unsolicited email can and will be punishable by law.

EMAIL IN 1972