Image courtesy weeklyreader.com
Every time I log in to the site to do maintenance and add posts, I get a bit excited when I see I have pending comments. “Wow! Not only is someone reading, but someone has something to say about it!” Unfortunately, this usually isn’t the case. That someone turns out not to be exactly human and unfortunately the words strung together by the algorithm, while complementing, are almost as meaningless as an email from the king of Nigeria.
Spam is a numbers game and sadly still a profitable one. Word Press maintains that 83% of blog comments are spam. I’m left wondering exactly what the point is. I like to believe that most internet using humans are smart enough to realize that a comment from “Sexy Model” is as real as an email from the Ugandan consulate regarding a misplaced inheritance.
I’m sure there’s some synchronicity in the fact that the most spammed piece here is the one titled “Killer Corpse Eating Robots.” Maybe they’re trying to tell us something. Whatever the message may be, here’s a little sampling of what gets my hopes up, then dashes them away each day:
In response to Tweet Your Way to and FBI Raid... from Frances Billingsly: “Thank’s 4 The Great Post I’ve found My Free Credit Report is definitely a great place to get my credit”
In Response to Killer Corpse Eating Robots… from Sexy Model: “Saw your Blog bookmarked on Reddit.I love your site and marketing strategy. Check out my website if you get a chance, just click on name. Check out my Valentines Day Lingerie Website if you got time”
In Response to Sci-Fi Just Can’t Seem To Imagine Greater… from FreeOnlineMovies: “Easily, the post is really the greatest on this laudable topic. I agree with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your forthcoming updates. Saying thanks will not just be sufficient, for the wonderful lucidity in your writing. I will right away grab your rss feed to stay privy of any updates. Good work and much success in your business enterprise!”
Here’s the thing, clicking “spam” on a dozen or so of these a day isn’t really all that annoying. Even scanning them to make sure an actual reader’s comment didn’t get mixed in isn’t that annoying. The part that bugs me, that really eats at my stomach, is when I think about how many times I’ve heard this kind of chatter in actual conversation. Yes, human on human, real “meat space” face to face conversation.
I used to work in a business to business sales environment. It’s as boring and sad as it sounds. Day to day one could expect an interesting conversation or two, but for the most part personal interaction consisted of office banter and inane chatter about the weather. Once and awhile I’d end up at various networking events where self appointed professionals like myself would gather to snag free snacks and low quality booze while attempting to schill one another. The truly sad part of the whole affair though, was the conversation. A crowded room of people all talking at one another, doling out fake compliments while pushing products no one wanted at each other.
So now I log in every day to see some of the scripted nonsense I used to actually speak and listen to in a former life. I’m left wondering if technology is imitating life, or life is imitating technology. What are we leaving the world and future generations when so much of what we do is built on a circular system of buying and selling shit no one wants or needs?
