Like Oscar the Grouch, “I love spam.” OK, not exactly. But, my position is a far sight different from Russ Roberts’s.
First, it is not entirely clear how to separate unsolicited commercial email offers from the dreaded category of “spam”. Being in the chemical engineering profession, I often receive email announcements regarding used pumps and vessels, courses on obscure engineering topics, enticements to order the latest saftey videos, new computer simulation products, etc. At what point does it become “spam”? Unfortunately, I think we can only apply the Stewart obscenity test: “I know it when I see it.”
Secondly, from an economic perspective, we should see the value in “spam”. Yes, it can be annoying. But, I much prefer to get a new credit card offer via email than in the mail or over the phone — I think a click to delete is less annoying and time-consuming. And, one should not overlook the information content. I have been advised via unsolicited commercial email, of offers of products and services that I didn’t even know existed. A few of these have interested me. The campaign against spam is partially a campaign against advertising itself, so the free-marketeer should guard himself accordingly. For a very brief but great overview of this topic, I recommend chapter 13 of Jim Cox’s Concise Guide to Economics.
Thirdly, I am decidedly against shunning or shaming folks who respond to “spam”. A sends to B and to C an unsolicited commercial offer to their respective boxes. B hates this and calls it spam. C likes this, and engages in mutually beneficial trade with A. What has C done wrong? For that matter, what has A done wrong? To send B a message he doesn’t want? How is A to know, a priori? If A did, he wouldn’t bother with the email to B. Even if A knowingly sends to B email that B does not want, C is not implicated in this offense. Of course, all of this applies to the three boxes via which we regularly receive commercial offers: postal box, telephone box, and email box.
To summarize, I actually look forward to the increased use of “spam”. No, I don’t want to change my anatomy, but because of the stigma endorsed by Roberts, I don’t get circulars from my local grocery stores or gas stations when they have price reductions (but look here!), I don’t get Easton Press offers via email, or new insurance or security service offers, etc. It is the height of civilization that I am bombarded with competing offers from many companies to better my life.
