On Spam
Everyone has different ideas on what spam is — what is spam to me might not be spam to you.
The dictionary definition for spam is messages that are irrelevant, unsolicited, and often promote a product.
Some people go to the extreme and say that spam is just self-serving content. (This is definitely not true because all content is self-serving).
After sitting down and pondering it through for a bit, I think I’ve come to realize what spam actually is.
Spam is content that the recipient no longer cares about
If you were interested in golf at some point, you would think content about golf isn’t spam.
But if you are no longer interested in it, you won’t care about it anymore, and you will unsubscribe sooner or later — or feel the content is spam.
We cannot accommodate the needs of every subscriber
It’s practically impossible for a business — or anyone — to make sure their messages aren’t spam to everyone.
But it’s possible to ensure our messages aren’t spam to the people we seek to serve (the audience).
If the content contains any of the following elements, it’s not spam:
- The content informs the audience about something
- The content forwards or educates the audience about something
- The content communicates or addresses expectations
All content is self-serving
Whether you like to admit this or not, all content is self-serving.
The content does something for the person who writes it.
- It can be a good feeling that this content may help someone
- It can lead to sales
- It can be used to change another person’s mind
- It can be used to clarify one’s thoughts
- Etc.
But content can be harmful
Over the last couple of years I spent on the internet, I have bought into various thought patterns (that others spoke about) that are unhealthy and downright destructive — only to realize it many years later.
I’d say you have to be careful about the content you consume because it may lead you astray — and away from your goals — without you realising it.
Two salient points to note:
- Humans often don’t know they’re losing awareness when they are losing awareness.
- Often, humans don’t know they’re receiving garbage until they truly know what isn’t garbage.
So be careful what you read, listen to, and absorb.
I hope this left you in a better place.
