Every e-mail inbox has a spam folder. Some emails end up in there automatically, others you have to mark as spam. Sometimes not only unsolicited spam messages end up in this folder, but also normal e-mails. For information on what exactly is spam, see this article.
Very common: spam emails
Spam is the term used to describe unwanted (advertising) messages that are sent digitally in bulk. These can be chain letters or forum entries, but the most common are spam e-mails. Therefore, e-mail providers nowadays usually have a spam filter that detects a lot of spam messages and routes them directly to the spam folder. This way, these e-mails do not clog your mailbox. However, sometimes normal e-mails accidentally end up in the spam folder - so check it regularly. Read here how to set up a spam folder.
Name probably goes back to a sketch
The term "Spam" probably goes back to a sketch of the British comedy series "Monty Python's Flying Circus". In this sketch, the word "spam," the name of a canned meat brand, is repeated excessively. As a result, it is hardly possible in the sketch to understand the real meaning of the conversations and texts - just as it is sometimes difficult to filter out normal messages from spam emails. An alternative term for spam is "junk", English for "junk"..
Danger: Viruses, data theft and even more spam
Spam messages often come from cryptic or unknown senders. In an insidious way, the sender is sometimes apparently a friend whose email address has been misused. If in doubt, ask the sender whether they wrote to you - but do not contact them by email.
Spam emails usually contain advertising or dubious offers. You will often be asked to click on links, open attachments, reply to or forward the mail and thus spread the spam. The danger here: There are often viruses behind links and attachments, and you often have to disclose your data. So-called phishing emails are specifically designed to steal your data. You can find out how to recognize phishing emails in this article..
Spammers collect third-party email addresses
The senders of spam, also known as spammers, come to third-party e-mail addresses in various ways. For example, they search the Internet for them or use viruses to get to address books on computers. Then they send their spam to the captured email addresses. Unfortunately, as a recipient of spam, you can usually do nothing more than move the messages to the spam folder or report them to your e-mail provider.
How to avoid spam
To avoid becoming a victim of spam, be careful with your data . Especially when it comes to competitions or newsletters, you should pay close attention to what your data can be used for. If in doubt, it makes sense to create your own e-mail address for such purposes. Any spam will then not end up in your actual mailbox.