I am very curious about a certain phenomenon that seems to have started these days. Apparently, when someone has an accident, or turns out to have some kind of serious illness, either an email service or a mobile network service comes forward and offers to give a certain amount of money every time a message about the individual concerned is forwarded. Now, here's my question: how does the mobile/email service in question know when the message is forwarded? Do they encrypt some kind of tracking code into the message (I wouldn't know if that's the correct terminology; I'm rather ignorant about these things)? Or they do have access to all our inboxes, and therefore know just how often we send/receive these messages (and therefore being a complete violation of privacy)?
Now, if it is one of these things, wouldn't it just be simpler to directly and openly hand over a huge some of money to the individual in need? At least, that way, they'd get a great deal of publicity. Oh, and they could even throw a huge bash and get their photos on Page 3 in the process!!!
Did I hear someone call me a cynic? Guilty as charged. I don't believe in altruism. At least, not when there's nothing in it for you in return. And definitely not for utter strangers. Sure, I help my friends and family if they need me to, because for some odd reason, I care about the bunch of them. I also help random classmates and colleagues, but if I was to examine my motives, it would probably be in the hope that when I need help from them, I'll get it (plus there's the fact that I'm not too good at saying no). And as far as strangers are concerned I don't think I've helped out more than one or two in my life!
So here's what I'm curious about (no, it wasn't the question at the beginning): what makes all these people so gullible to believe these forwards, and thereafter so willing and eager to send them on? They don't know these individuals, yet they will continue to send forward after forward to "help" them.
I mean, come on, I've been using the World Wide Web for seven to eight years now, and that girl Rachel who supposedly has cancer has been the same freaking age ever since! Sure, even I got taken in initially... Oui, even I have been nice enough to send out that mail a few times, but then you see, after a year or so, I wisened up. So why don't these people?
To quote a wise woman, "People are stupid".
Now, if it is one of these things, wouldn't it just be simpler to directly and openly hand over a huge some of money to the individual in need? At least, that way, they'd get a great deal of publicity. Oh, and they could even throw a huge bash and get their photos on Page 3 in the process!!!
Did I hear someone call me a cynic? Guilty as charged. I don't believe in altruism. At least, not when there's nothing in it for you in return. And definitely not for utter strangers. Sure, I help my friends and family if they need me to, because for some odd reason, I care about the bunch of them. I also help random classmates and colleagues, but if I was to examine my motives, it would probably be in the hope that when I need help from them, I'll get it (plus there's the fact that I'm not too good at saying no). And as far as strangers are concerned I don't think I've helped out more than one or two in my life!
So here's what I'm curious about (no, it wasn't the question at the beginning): what makes all these people so gullible to believe these forwards, and thereafter so willing and eager to send them on? They don't know these individuals, yet they will continue to send forward after forward to "help" them.
I mean, come on, I've been using the World Wide Web for seven to eight years now, and that girl Rachel who supposedly has cancer has been the same freaking age ever since! Sure, even I got taken in initially... Oui, even I have been nice enough to send out that mail a few times, but then you see, after a year or so, I wisened up. So why don't these people?
To quote a wise woman, "People are stupid".
3 comments:
So I haven't even finished the first paragraph yet and already I have something to say.
No they cannot track your emails or sms's and those lists are a bunch of absolute crap because even someone with a PEA for a brain SHOULD be able to figure out that one person sends it a whole different set of people so unless it's going to only one person at a time, each 'list' will be different. You know what I mean? And those cancer/TB ones are also all some stupid sh*t created by an idiot who wants to see how far around the world he can get it. How can an email or cellular provider keep track of WHICH sms is going WHERE? It's just stupid and the forwarders clearly have a below average IQ. People ARE stupis and they will keep proving it.
Well the more u fwd these msg i only see one party benifiting frm it "CELLULAR Operators" .!
All these mgs ..like fwd to 10 ppl u'll meet someone..or if u dont u'll hv a bad bad....and God Knows Wht shit !! and OF Course ! Aman(name changed*) will always have Cancer ..evn whn my kids hv kids (hopefuly by then msging wud be free ) ..
it's becoz ppl are superstitious Not Stupid ..wht does 10 msgs cost u ? - Rs 1/- I GUESS ppl r wiling to pay the cost to meet their soul mate ;) or have a good day ...evn when they knw they hvn't studied frm the exam. !! :D
ITS THE CELLULAR OPERATORS THEMSELVES WHO BRING THESE MESAGES IN CIRCULATION ..TO KEEP THE REVENUES FLOWING..!!Period!
p.s: i IGNORE these msges.!!
as exemplified above(ref. stupid chap), all these are nothing but farce .... the service providers (telephone as well as internet)send the first volley of msgs for profits (former) or for meilleur publicity (later) ... such negative marketing activities are undertaken on the presumption that either people would find them silly and ignore/delete them or they might be gullible enough to do as directed, i.e. forward ....
very few people actually sit back and ponder on the technical details/backgrounds .... besides, due to paucity of time, magnitude of headache and manque de proper evidence very few people consider taking the service providers to court (consumer law court) ....
les idees principaux: whats the use of all the fuss when it does not harm me; all i need to do is to 'archive' it!!!
sandy
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