Please Pass (On) The Spam

By Rachel E. Fugate and Susan Tillotson Bunch

The Internet first materialized in 1968 and was developed originally by the Department of Defense.¹ Since its humble beginnings in 1968, the Internet has experienced tremendous change. Today, the Internet is a "giant computer ‘network of networks’ which interconnects innumerable smaller groups of linked computer networks offering a range of digital information including text, images, sound and video."² It is estimated that the Internet connects more than 159 countries and over 100 million users, with the amount of traffic doubling every 100 days.³

"The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location."⁴ It is easy to see why the Internet has been a godsend for advertisers. It provides an almost instantaneous, efficient and low-cost way for