Sähkökirjeitä

Sähkökirjeitä is a Finnish term that refers to electronic messages sent over electrical communication networks. The expression denotes messages that functioned like letters but were transmitted electronically, and it was used primarily in historical and technical contexts before the widespread adoption of the modern term sähköposti (email).

Etymology and scope: The compound combines sähkö- (electric) with kirje (letter). In Finnish archives and early computer literature, sähkökirjeitä described correspondence distributed by telex, teleprinters, or other electronic means. The term has been used to distinguish older electronic correspondence from later forms of digital communication such as standardized email.

History and technology: In the mid- to late 20th century, organizations often used telex networks and teleprinters to send messages between offices, sometimes labeling these messages as sähkökirjeitä. As computer networks and email protocols (such as SMTP) became common in the 1980s and 1990s, the everyday usage of the term declined in favor of sähköposti. In Finnish historical descriptions, sähkökirjeitä may appear when detailing pre-email communication practices or the evolution of electronic messaging.

Characteristics: Early sähkökirjeitä were typically plain text and relied on operator-assisted networks for delivery. They could be sent one-to-one or in small distributions, and archiving often depended on printed or magnetic media available at the time.

Legacy: The concept is largely of historical interest, illustrating the progression from mechanical and telegraph-based messaging to modern electronic mail. In contemporary Finnish, sähköposti is the standard term; sähkökirjeitä is encountered mainly in historical discussions or technical retrospectives.

See also: sähköposti, telex, telegraph, bulletin board systems.