Chain letter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A typical chain letter consists of a message that attempts to induce the recipient to make a number of copies of the letter and then pass them on to one or more new recipients. A chain letter can be considered a type of meme.[1] Common methods used by chain letters include emotionally manipulative stories, get-rich-quick pyramid schemes, and the exploitation of superstition to threaten the recipient with bad luck or even physical violence or death if he or she "breaks the chain" and refuses to adhere by the conditions set out by the letter.
Chain letters are capable of evolution, generally improving their ability to convince their hosts to replicate them over time.[2] This sometimes occurs through deliberate modification of the chain letter by a recipient, or sometimes through purely accidental imperfect copying.[2]
With the development of e-mail and the Internet, chain letters have become much more common and quick to spread than when they were transmitted purely by physical mail, although RFC 1855 explicitly discouraged them as a breach of netiquette. Some e-mail providers prohibit users from sending chain e-mails in their terms of service (see chain e-mail).
There have been Himmelsbriefe ("Heaven letters") since at least the Middle Ages. And one could look to the Egyptian Book of the Dead as a meme that promised resurrection to those intombed with a copy.
In the United States it is illegal to mail chain letters that involve pyramid schemes or other such financial inducements under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1302, the Postal Lottery Statute, though Chain letters that ask for items of minor value such as business cards or recipes are not covered by this law.[3]
Chain letters have become popular in MySpace (in the form of myspace bulletins) and Youtube (in the form of video comments). MySpace chain letters often have intimidating hoaxes. Their popularity has surged on video sharing sites such as earlier mentioned YouTube.
Version being sent to mobile phones via SMS have also become common recently. The following is an example of a chain SMS message:
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- God is going to shift things around 4 you today, if you believe in god send this to 10 ppl
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[edit] See also
- Chain e-mail
- Mail fraud
- Make money fast
- Amish Friendship Bread (a culinary version of a chain letter)
- Samizdat - a chain-letter-like means of publishing and distributing forbidden material under Soviet rule
- Mon cher Mustapha letter - a chain letter used as a form of black propaganda
- The Cursed Videotape - a fictitious chain-letter-like supernatural object.
[edit] References
- ^ Dan Sperber. An objection to the memetic approach to culture // Robert Aunger (2000). Darwinizing Culture: The Status of Memetics as a Science. Oxford University Press, 163-173
- ^ a b VanArsdale, Daniel W. (1998, 2002). Chain Letter Evolution. Retrieved on August 21, 2006.
- ^ Chain Letters. United States Postal Inspection Service. Retrieved on August 21, 2006.
[edit] Bibliography
- Dan Squier. The Truth About Chain Letters, 1990, Premier Publishers, ISBN 0915665212
- Athena Dean. All That Glitters is Not Gold: Breaking Free From the Sweet Deceit of MLM, 1998, Winepress Publishing, ISBN 1579211348
- RL Fitzpatrick. False Profits: Seeking Financial & Spiritual Deliverance in MLM & Pyramid Schemes, 1997, Herald Press, ISBN 0964879514
- James Walsh. You Can't Cheat An Honest Man: How Ponzi Schemes & Pyramid Frauds Work, Merritt Publishing, ISBN 1563431696
- Gary Tartaglia. Shattered Dreams: How To Avoid Costly Mistakes In Multi-level Marketing, 1985, Targeted Communications, ISBN 0961440406
- Stephen Butterfield. Amway: The Cult of Free Enterprise, 1985, South End Press, ISBN 0896082539
- John Scarne. Complete Guide to Gambling, Fully Revised, Expanded, Updated edition. Fireside, 1986, ISBN 0671630636
