Day 24

6. What is spam (not including scams like Phishing, Nigerian 419 or chain letters) and how does it work? Does anyone really buy the products advertised in spam?

• Spam floods the internet with multiple copies of the same message in order to force users to view it. The majority of spam I encounter is either commercial advertising or those annoying get rich quick schemes.
• Spam can also be sent through email to send unsolicited bulk messages.
• Spam costs the sender very little to send.

The most interesting thing I've learned about spam is where the term originated. It is said to originate from a Monty Python's Flying Circus skit. In the skit, a restaurant serves all its food with lots of spam, and the waitress repeats the word several times in describing how much spam is in the items. When she does this, a group of Vikings start a song:

"Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam! Wonderful spam!"

Until told to shut up.

This skit exemplifies what it's like to be continually bombarded with spam.