According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 40,000 people die every year in this country in motor vehicle accidents. It’s a huge number, and yet interestingly, you never hear anybody talking about eliminating motor vehicles as a mode of transportation.  We understand the size of the risk, but we drive our cars everyday anyway, because the benefits are even bigger and there are no alternatives that are nearly as good.

That’s why, when I hear people talking about how “spam is causing the end of email,” I have to politely disagree.  Sure, spam makes email less wonderful, but the fact that we continue to rely on it every day anyway, despite the inconvenience, only proves how much we can’t live without it.

If the risk of death hasn’t caused us to trade in our cars, the risk of spam isn’t going to cure our collective email habit. Not until an equally compelling alternative comes along… something I have yet to see.