Spam killed voice calls. You know it and I know it. A generation ago, it was exciting to get a call on your cell phone. You looked forward to it. And then, slowly, the robocalls started coming. “We’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warrranty,” they said. “You can cut your energy costs in half with a new federal program,” they promised. By the late ’10s I barely knew anyone who actually answered a voice call unless they knew the number. It was a waste of time.
And besides, we’d learned the joy of texting. Unless you were a teen in the ’00s you probably didn’t text a lot back then. It was hard to do with those older phones. Quite a workout for your thumbs. So, few of us did it. But with smartphones and full keyboards, texting became easier. Cell phone plans started allowing unlimited texting and there were opportunities like Snapchat, WhatsApp, and others that did more than plain texting would allow.
Although few knew the term, what we learned to enjoy is called “asynchronous communication.” It means someone sends you a message on their schedule and you reply on yours. It’s nice for that reason, because you don’t have to drop what you’re doing. (Although, many of us still do.) It also means you can stop and think about your reply. For me, at least, that’s a huge benefit.
So, even though voice calls carry so much more subtlety and immediacy, we’ve given up on them for the most part. Texting is easier and there’s less spam. At least there was.
SMS – the new frontier for spammers
Unfortunately, it’s really easy to send junk texts now. It’s just as easy as it is to send spam emails, and the messages have a better chance of being read. I’ve begged the FCC to do something about it, but they’re moving too slow. Smart spam texters are taking over, and they’re coming for you.
Now, just like promotional emails, there are some messages that you probably do want. And, the majority of companies abide by existing rules that force them to let you text back STOP to be removed. Those rules only apply to US companies, and just like robocallers and spam emailers before them, text spammers are simply moving overseas where they can’t be reached.
I’m a little worried that spammers will take over texting. Sure, we can all move to WhatsApp, but then the spammers will probably follow there as well. This is just another case where the technology is growing faster than our ability to regulate it. Sooner or later we’ll find ourselves in a pickle that we’re not able to regulate ourselves out of. And I think spam texts might be it.
The worst kind of spam texts
In the last year, I’ve seen a marked rise in texts that just seem like wrong numbers. They start, “Hey Laura, it was really good to see you at the party” or something. Our tendency is to be polite and text back “wrong number.” These texts are generally sent so the texter knows there’s someone out there who will respond. When you do, they either sell your number to 100 other companies, or they get even more insidious.
Some unsolicited texts are aimed at lonely people of all ages. They’ll engage you for an hour if you let them, getting you to give out tiny personal details. They can use these to steal your identity. Or, in some cases, they do a good enough job that by the time they’re done you actually want to send them money. It’s then that you bid goodbye to your hard-earned cash and the friend you thought you’d made.
What can you do?
Just like robocalls and spam emails, the best defense is just being smart. Text spammers will give up if their efforts don’t work. Tell everyone you know, especially older relatives, not to respond to texters they don’t know. And, never give out personal information. Period.
