Spam Scares Away Email Users

It looks as though the recent implementation of the nation’s CAN SPAM law is having little effect on unwanted emails. According to a recent survey done by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 29 percent of respondents have decreased their use of email due the overwhelming amount of junk mail received.

Moreover, 63 percent of users stated that spam has made them more distrustful of email as a whole. Seventy-seven percent of respondents complained that, due to spam, the simple act of being online is bothersome and irritating–an increase of 7 percent since the last study done in June.

“Consumer frustration with spam gets translated into overall frustration and mistrust of email marketing and email as a communications tool,” stated Ray Everett-Church, co-founder of the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email, to DMNews.

Experts estimate that junk mail accounts for 60 to 80 percent of email traffic. It’s no wonder that, summarily, approximately 86 percent of all respondents reported some level of distress with it.

The study, based on a survey of 1400 Internet users, also found that 58 percent of users were not even aware of the CAN SPAM legislation. Having gone into effect on January 1, “the law attempts to regulate rather than ban the practice of spamming,” states the Pew Internet site.

Results of the study aren’t encouraging but it’s still rather early in the game.

Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project commented to the Washington Post that “this is the first reading on the effect of CAN SPAM which was meant to help begin solving this problem.”

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