Ian Bogost discusses the problems of email in The Atlantic.
Email is the worst, but some emails are worse than others. The worst emails are forwards. And the worst forwards? Not the jokes your uncle sends you from his AOL account, but the ones your boss or your coworkers send along from some obscure corner of Administrivistan.
Most work emails are purely defensive missives. They seek to shift effort, hide omissions, or provide cover against future blame. Emails simulate work: Rather than getting something done, you create a futures market for excuses and rationales for not getting them done. Thanks to precarity, the modern workplace demands the construction of layers of protective virtual ramparts to shield the worker from possible future reproach. (more here)
Progressive Geographies 
At my work Email seems harmless enough simply messages about what is going on. Mostly things I want to be informed about. It is an efficient way to connect to many people on different work schedules. It is not the worst. Not having email would be worse in this case. I would come to work and be ambushed by things I should be able to handle with a little for knowledge. email is as good as whoever is using it, simply a tool like a phone. Phones are not inherently bad but can be distracting and ill-used. Tools are not bad if used correctly.