Изначально SPAM означал SPiced hAM (перчёная ветчина …)
Spam as meat has been around a long time, way before Computers were invented. So Spam mail came after spam the meat.In fact Spam was developed by Hormel in 1937. SPAM stands for SPiced hAM. . Spam referring to junk mail emerged in 1978. the people who called junk mail as SPAM, did not dislike the meat, and it still sells well. They simply thought it was a catchy slogan. Hormel protested against this usage, butthey were unable to stop it
Но после того как пришл к власти интернет и появились те которые научились забивать ерундой ресурсы, благодаря одной из зарисовок 70-ых годов комидианта Monty Python этот термин распространился на нынче известных спамеров…
According to The Internet Society,
" The term “spam” as it is used to denote mass unsolicited mailings or
netnews postings is derived from a Monty Python sketch set in a
movie/tv studio cafeteria. During that sketch, the word “spam” takes
over each item offered on the menu until the entire dialogue consists
of nothing but “spam spam spam spam spam spam and spam.” This so
closely resembles what happens when mass unsolicited mail and posts
take over mailing lists and netnews groups that the term has been
pushed into common usage in the Internet community."