JPA Daily Buzz - Edisi 30 2026

page 2 In 1971 , a computer engineer named Ray Tomlinson was working on ARPANET. His task was to improve how messages could be sent between computers on the network. At the time, it was possible to leave messages for other users on the same computer. But Tomlinson had an idea: what if a message could be sent f rom one computer to another computer across the network ? To test this idea, he modified an existing program and created a way for messages to travel between machines connected to ARPANET. When the system was ready, Tomlinson sent a test message from one computer to another. That message became the first email in history . Interestingly, the very first email message was not something profound or historic. In fact, Ray Tomlinson himself later admitted that he could not remember exactly what the message said. Most accounts suggest it was something simple, possibly a random sequence of letters used only to test whether the system worked. The message itself was not important. What mattered was the breakthrough. For the first time, a message had travelled electronically from one computer to another over a network. This simple experiment would eventually change the way the world communicates. The Birth of the “@” Symbol Ray Tomlinson also introduced something that has since become one of the most recognisable symbols in digital communication, the @ symbol . He needed a way to separate the user’s name from the computer they were using. So he chose the @ symbol because it was rarely used in names and could clearly indicate location. For example: user@computer . This simple decision created the email address format that we still use today. Even now, decades later, every email address around the world continues to follow this same structure. What began as a small technical experiment soon grew into something far larger. As computer networks expanded, email quickly became one of the most widely used forms of communication. By the 1980s and 1990s, email was spreading beyond research laboratories into businesses, government offices and eventually homes around the world. Today, billions of emails are sent every single day. Email connects people across cities, countries and continents within seconds. It allows ideas to travel quickly, decisions to be shared efficiently and information to be organised in ways that were once impossible. For many of us, email has become an essential part of our professional lives. It helps teams coordinate projects, share updates and maintain records of communication. Within the public service, email plays an important role in ensuring that information flows smoothly between departments, agencies and stakeholders. It enables organisations to work more efficiently, collaborate more effectively and respond more quickly to the needs of the public. What began as a simple experiment between two computers has grown into one of the most important communication tools of the digital age. Looking back, it is fascinating to think that one small test message helped shape the way billions of people communicate today. Ray Tomlinson’s experiment in 1971 was not intended to change the world. It was simply a practical solution to a technical problem. Yet that small innovation helped open the door to a new era of communication one that continues to evolve with technology. Today we send emails in seconds, attach documents instantly and communicate across continents without ever leaving our desks. But sometimes it is worth pausing for a moment and thinking about how communication used to feel. A handwritten letter. A carefully chosen stamp and the quiet excitement of waiting days sometimes weeks for a reply to arrive. For many people, that was the joy of having a pen pal . Perhaps technology has made communication faster, but it has also changed the way we experience connection and the next time you send an email, it may be worth remembering that the entire digital conversation began with one small message sent between two computers more than fifty years ago. Although, if Ray Tomlinson could see our inboxes today, he might be wondering whether he accidentally created the world’s biggest to-do list . Dr. Diyana Hassim Head of Corporate Communications Public Service Department