Email spam

Email spam, also known as junk email, is unsolicited messages sent in bulk by email (spamming). Email spam, also known as junk email, is unsolicited messages sent in bulk by email (spamming). The name comes from Spam luncheon meat by way of a Monty Python sketch in which Spam is ubiquitous, unavoidable, and repetitive. Email spam has steadily grown since the early 1990s, and by 2014 was estimated that it made up around 90% of email messages sent. Since the expense of the spam is borne mostly by the recipient, it is effectively postage due advertising. This makes it an excellent example of a negative externality.