Hardly. I'm the one constantly wondering why people didn't read the email I sent them before interrupting me with redundant questions that were thoroughly answered in the email.
I have never been in a meeting where consensus was reached. I've been in plenty of meetings where management edicts were handed down after an hour of wasted time with "rapid discussion" based on faulty assumptions that could have been fixed in ten minutes if someone had had an opportunity to consult relevant material at their desk in peace.
Either you're confusing "peers with a whiteboard" with "meetings", or you're living on a completely different planet from me.
Exactly. I used to hate meetings too. But, when you are working on a project that requires thoughtful discussion of something specific, email can be horrendous.
E-mail is dreadful for anything that tends to go off-course (needs to be chaired) or requires rapid discussion with evolving arguments.