A closer look
Ray Tomlinson invented network email in 1971, making electronic mail a solid two decades older than the World Wide Web itself. He chose the "@" symbol to separate the user's name from their machine, fundamentally changing how humanity communicates while permanently ensuring that character would be forever annoying to type on a smartphone keyboard. Tomlinson later admitted he couldn't remember what the first email actually said, guessing it was something entirely forgettable like a mashed string of letters. This means the very first instance of instantaneous digital communication, a technology that would eventually be used to fire people remotely and send thousands of passive-aggressive meeting invites, was essentially just keyboard mashing. It is almost poetic that a system now entirely clogged by spam newsletters and desperate corporate recruiters began with a completely meaningless string of gibberish
