Email signatures are harming the planet and could cost people their lives — it’s time to stop using them
theconversation.com
It’s time to retire the email signature and take a hard look at improving our communication efficiency.

Edit: A lot of people seem to hate on the article without reading it.

Here is a supporting scientific source, by the same author: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825000863

The environmental impact of our online habits is far larger than most realize, and as digital communication continues to evolve, we must consider its long-term consequences on the environment and human life. We should take the easy steps of cutting wasteful energy use in our communications and it can start with eliminating email signatures.

  • cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    8·
    14 hours ago

    Streaming a single movie will use more data than a typical person will use for email signatures in their entire life.

  • nick@midwest.socialEnglish
    232·
    18 hours ago

    Or, you know, we could launch all the cryptocurrency fucknuts into the sun.

  • snooggums@lemmy.worldEnglish
    19·
    18 hours ago

    The results showed that in Canada, where about 15 per cent of people include gender pronouns in emails, the resulting carbon emissions from this small change (three extra words) may contribute to the premature deaths of one person a year, according to the 1,000-ton rule.

    This a comedy piece, right?

    • IAmLamp@fedia.io
      7·
      18 hours ago

      With all of the nonsense spewing from the brainless these days, I think my cognitive bias forces me to assume that they believe this bullshit 100%. This probably needs to be in NotTheOnion if it isn’t there already.

  • MordercaSkurwysyn@lemm.eeEnglish
    101·
    18 hours ago

    My company requires me to include probably a whole A4 sheet worth of text, hyperlinks, graphics at the bottom of every email. It’s especially funny with short back and forth emails when a total of 10 sentences exchanged turn into multi megabyte document. I am sorry to all the people who are going to die because of this.

    • ddash@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      6·
      17 hours ago

      A decent mail program would at least offer you the option to just display the signature with the first mail. But maybe the company mandates to do it in every mail. In any case, damn.

  • folekaule@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    15 hours ago

    I’m old though to remember that rich text email or just more than 4 lines/72 columns of signature was a blatant violation of netiquette. I’m also old enough to remember there was such a thing as netiquette.

  • cashsky@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1·
    12 hours ago

    I love the signatures that are a full page of useless information but then at the end it says “please consider the environment and when printing this email”