NJ doesn’t read emails, and this is largely to blame

Older generations, such as myself, will probably remember what a joy it was to receive an email. Millennials in particular, since they grew up during the rise of the digital era.

It was a time for dial-up modems and tying up the phone line just to have a chance to get online (cue someone shouting, "GET OFF THE PHONE!"). Sometimes, depending on the time of day, it was tough to be able to get on.

But after all that modem noise you had to hear with the computer, you finally heard those wonderful words, "Welcome!" And if you were lucky enough, you'd also hear "You got mail" right afterward.

For those who didn't grow up with or were around when the internet really started to take hold, you have no idea how exciting that was (Sorry, Gen Z, you'll never understand).

Sure, it was more of a novelty in the 1990s than anything else. But as we rolled past the huge crash of Y2K (remember that dud?), emails quickly became a way of life.

Flash Forward

Of course, we're more than two decades removed from those days, and emails now consume our lives in ways we wish they never had. Essentially, most of our emails are now simply a digital form of junk mail.

And we get so much of it, too. So much, in fact, that a survey from Babbel states the average number of unread emails on our phones is in the thousands (you can read more about the findings reported by The New York Post here, and the India Times here).

That's not an exaggeration, either. In fact, over the past few months, I've been asking work colleagues, family, friends, and others about how many unread emails they have.

Only a few hundred... or thousand

For most of them, the number was anywhere between 500 to 1,000. A bit lower than what this poll concluded, but still fairly high numbers. One person I spoke to, however, blew all of the others out of the water.

In that case, the unread email count on the phone exceeded 10,000. How is that even possible? 10,000 unread emails simply sounds crazy.

But it all boils down to one common thread. We all get tons of junk and scam emails on a daily basis, work and personal included.

So much so that I decided to experiment with my own emails and decided to let them build up for one week. The final result can be summed up in one word... ridiculous.

In just one week's time

I ended up with 526 unread emails just by ignoring the ones I deemed as junk. Based on that, I can easily see how this happens with so many others.

But with that said, there is a divide when it comes to unread emails and our younger generations. In particular, Gen Z.

In simplest terms, Gen Z has a hard time knowing how to manage their emails, especially at work. In fact, communicating in a professional setting via email stresses them out, which causes email anxiety.

That, in turn, prevents them from opening emails in the first place. And I have to tell you, I truly don't blame them.

A common difference

It's interesting findings but one that holds true for every generation that has an email address. The amount of junk and spam email we receive is through the roof. But outside of that, our work emails also pile up.

The one key difference, however, is how having thousands of unread emails affects different generations. What might not bother older generations sure has an opposite effect on those who are younger.

But the common thread is this. We don't read most of our digital messages, and that's in large part thanks to junk email.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.