why is there spam?

From: Damien Broderick (d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Tue Oct 01 2002 - 00:58:32 MDT


I really don't understand the motivation, but then I find it hard to
comprehend why TV ads shriek moronic crap in my ears and eyes until I hit
the mute and turn shudderingly away. I assume radio and TV `commercial
messages' with brand recognition must be successful on some marginal level
in inscribing one option rather than another on brains that have
consciously averted their gaze. But that doesn't work with spam. Each day I
have to hose out a dozen or more items of crapulous gibberish that only
someone terminally lonely or stupid would even open and read, let along
respond to. So why do they get sent? Someone is paying for this `service'.
What in dog's name are they getting in return?

Damien Broderick



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