When Gmail first appeared in 2004, the idea of having what seemed like a never-ending space for email was revolutionary. Most paid services were providing a few megabytes of space, and here came Google promising a full gigabyte (which, at the time, seemed huge) for free. This monumental shift in storage capacity captivated users' attention and marked the beginning of a new era in email services.
Over the years, however, Gmail has added a plethora of features that it touts as 'improvements' but some of which I find irritating. Its autocomplete feature, for example, suggests words or phrases that you can use in emails as you type, which I suppose can be useful but I often find to be a pain in the neck, as the proposed language interrupts my train of thought.
I’ve created rules that automatically place custom labels on the appropriate emails (labels such as Conventions, Books, or, during the first months of the covid-19 pandemic, Masks). I immediately add a star to every message I consider vital and usually remember to check them later. These personalized organization strategies have made my experience with Gmail smoother and more efficient.
Still, last I looked, I had eight Gmail accounts: two personal accounts that I currently use for most of my emails; a business account for The Verge; one account that I use for app testing. This illustrates how entrenched Gmail has become in my daily life, becoming indispensable for both personal and professional communication.
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