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Why Gmail shouldn't try April Fools' Day jokes

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Javed Anwer
Javed AnwerApr 01, 2016 | 17:37

Why Gmail shouldn't try April Fools' Day jokes

Google has a history of playing elaborate pranks on every April Fools' Day. In fact, it even has a history of putting something out as a joke - yes, we are talking about Gmail - that later turns out to be not a joke.

Today also, the company came out with its pranks. Unfortunately, in its most elaborate prank on this April Fools' Day on Friday, it also crossed a limit. The Mic Drop prank in Gmail was crass, but at the same time, it was also probably so good that it was ruining people's lives.

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On Friday morning, when people, including those in India, logged into Gmail and opened a compose window, they saw a button called "Send + Mic Drop". Sending an email using this button meant that you not only attached a GIF of a minion ending a conversation and walking away, but also made it impossible for the receiver of the email to reply back to you.

"Email's great, but sometimes you just wanna hit the eject button. Like those heated threads at work, when everyone's wrong except you (obviously). Or those times when someone's seeking group approval, but your opinion is the only one that matters (amirite?). Or maybe you just nailed it, and there's nothing more to say (bam)," Google wrote.

Just a little harmless joke, or so thought the nerdy engineers at Google.

The real world, however, is not all "ha ha hee hee". It is a serious, serious world where millions of people use Gmail for serious, serious work. The results of Google's prank has been disastrous. Many people didn't realise it was a prank. Many more understood it was a prank but didn't realise its implications. There were reports that people were losing their jobs, reputations, contracts because they "dropped the mic" on Friday.

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Google has seemingly realised its mistake and the prank is gone from Gmail. But the incident once again shows that the ultra smart nerds of Google are often out of sync when it comes to empathising or connecting with the hoi polloi.

It also shows how futile and ridiculous the April Fools' pranks are from companies that are vital to our daily lives. The world depends on services, essential services, provided by these companies and these elaborate pranks are no longer fun.

Google has blamed Friday's fiasco on a bug. But probably there was no bug. It was just a prank, an extremely successful one. It was just that this prank was also extremely irritating.

Last updated: April 03, 2016 | 15:24
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