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The term "spam" is now commonly used to describe unsolicited messages, especially in the context of email. Its association with repetition and annoyance traces back to the infamous 1970s Monty Python skit. In this sketch, set in a café with Vikings, a cross-dressing hostess comically repeats the word "SPAM" (referring to the spiced ham product) as a menu item, overshadowing other items on the menu. This repetitive mention of SPAM in the skit mirrored the intrusive and repetitive nature of unwanted messages.
This repetitive mention of SPAM in the skit mirrored the intrusive and repetitive nature of unwanted messages.
There is a popular, yet largely unsubstantiated, theory that spam emails were likened to "fake" messages in the same way that SPAM is sometimes humorously referred to as fake meat, but there is little to substantiate this.
The exact origin point of spam being used as computer lingo is unknown, however, early instances of the term can be traced back to the 1980s, particularly within chat systems and multi-user dungeons of the 80s, where it was used to describe repetitive, disruptive messages.
The term gained widespread recognition in the early 1990s, following an incident involving a husband-and-wife team of lawyers who bulk-posted advertisements for their immigration law services across numerous Usenet groups.