So you thought email was dead, supplanted by a raft of alternatives ranging from instant messaging and video calls, to workplace productivity and communication tools? Think again. A new exhibition, which took over London’s Design Museum, predicted that the communication medium will still be going strong by 2070, and saw more than 25,000 visitors attend, giving vindication to those who think the technology is still a vital part of today’s lives.
Email is Dead, a free, interactive exhibition, told the story of just over 50 years of email, from its invention in the 1970s to today—and then on to its future (and centenary) in the 2070s. The exhibition, presented by Intuit Mailchimp, examined how email’s impact goes far beyond simply being a communication tool, and considered how it helps shape our work lives, relationships, cultures, and economies. It featured an Instagram-able “Cloud Room” which took the meaning of the cloud to a new, comfy level, as well as playful sensory elements throughout, such as the scent of email diffused in the space and a gentle soundtrack playing in the background.
More than four billion people use email worldwide, and four in five consumers prefer email over any form of communication. Plus, 95 percent of marketers believe email marketing has an excellent ROI. The exhibition highlighted, through interactive and colorful displays, how the way we use email has changed to meet societal shifts. A number of leading artists from around the globe also contributed to the exhibition, highlighting the multitude of ways that email touches on and has changed our lives.
The inventions offered intriguing solutions for some of life’s most intractable email-based problems—from the never-ending quest for inbox zero, to the temptation to send an indiscreet email that you’d later regret. Visitors to the exhibition were encouraged to leave their own mark in email history, too, by creating and sending an “email time capsule” to themselves, and by taking an email personality test to try and discern what kind of correspondent they were.
The exhibition also incorporated more playful nods to the position email plays in keeping us in touch: A photo booth, for instance, allowed visitors to take pictures of themselves magically transported to exotic and absurd locations, which were then emailed as Wish You Were Here-style postcards. It’s a reminder that for every terse, business-critical email, there are plenty more people who are using the technology to keep in touch with friends and family, and to share things like holiday snaps.
Just how integral email would become to our lives is something that shocked even those who organized Email is Dead, which ran from September 28 to October 22. “I could never have imagined when I sent my first email that, a few years later, it would proceed to infuse my entire working day, from invitations and newsletters to sharing vital information with colleagues and collaborators,” says Josephine Chanter, director of audiences at the Design Museum. “And that our ability to influence, inform, and persuade on this platform would be absolutely critical to making things happen.”
But for Intuit Mailchimp, which every day handles email marketing and automations for countless customers, the technology’s central part in how we live is self-evident. “Email is one of the most prevalent communication tools in the world, and everyone's connection to the medium is personal,” says Michelle Taite, Intuit Mailchimp's chief marketing officer.
Emails have now been around for half a century—and show no sign of slowing or becoming less relevant to our daily lives. Technological advancements such as automation, data-driven personalization, and AI make it easier for brands to harness the power of this channel by talking with individual customers rather than talking at countless ones. The exhibition was designed to highlight all the good things about email—and its staying power in our lives for decades to come, says Taite. The event served as “a life-sized reminder of how distinctive, powerful, and indispensable email is to life as we know it, and as a way to explore words, design, and experiences that matter on this platform,” she says, “ultimately answering a question we are often asked: Is email dead?”
Her reply? “Not even close.”
To find out more, read the press release about the exhibition on mailchimp.com.
