Multiple news outlets—including the U.K.’s Daily Mail and the Washington Post—published stories recently about a supposedly growing trend in the U.S. in which people are so overwhelmed by the volume of unopened messages in their inboxes, they’re declaring “e-mail bankruptcy.”
And they’re announcing it publicly.
The idea reportedly drew renewed attention last month when venture capitalist Fred Wilson announced on his technology blog that he was giving up on responding to all the e-mails piled up in his inbox.
“I am so far behind on email that I am declaring bankruptcy,” he wrote. “If you’ve sent me an e-mail (and you aren’t my wife, partner, or colleague), you might want to send it again. I am starting over.”
Actually, whether Fred knows it or not, he did respond to all the e-mails piled up in his inbox. He simply did it on his blog, and in the process let everyone know he thinks they’re hanging on his every word.
Here’s a novel concept: Most people who become overwhelmed by their inboxes are probably thinking they need to reply to messages that don’t necessarily require it.
Sure, in some cases the messages causing the problem may be work related. But it’s safe bet that those who are declaring e-mail bankruptcy aren’t doing it to a list of contacts with their boss on it.
And if someone truly has so many e-mails that require a response that they can’t possibly keep up, then they’ve probably got a loyal audience they can sell advertising against.
Announcing e-mail bankruptcy is just another way for some people to try and demonstrate to others how cool they are. “Oh, I just have so much e-mail from people dying to hear from me, I just can possibly keep up with it all. I guess I’ll have to compose a message declaring e-mail bankruptcy: ‘Dear adoring minions…’”
I’ll make a pact with everyone on this list right now: You don’t ever send me an e-mail bankruptcy message and I won’t send you a message every Monday about how I vowed this weekend to stop drinking and get on the elliptical trainer more often. Deal?
