The chain letters they have this name because in the past they were used to send religious messages with the suggestion of reciting prayers in honor of Saint Anthony. The name chain letter is though used only in Italy, in other countries they are simply called “letter chains”. Although they existed before the advent of the internet and mobile phones, they spread especially in recent decades because the development of telecommunications has made the circulation of messages rapid and cost-free. Very often the chains are just a nuisance, but sometimes may contain scams or misleading messages.
What is a chain letter
The chain letter is a system for spreading messages. It consists of sending the message to a recipient, inviting him to transmit it in turn to one or more people: the message thus “goes viral“, in the sense that it spreads like a virus. In this way, it obtains wide circulation, until the recipients stop forwarding it and the chain is “broken”. Originally, chain letters were they developed by regular mail but currently, thanks to technological advances, they are circulating especially electronically: telephone messages, emails, social media.
Why they are called that: the origin of the name
The name Chain of Saint Anthony derives from the fact that in Italy the first messages of this type had a religious function and bore the indication “Recite three Hail Marys to Saint Anthony”. According to some sources, the chains bearing this message spread already at the beginning of the 20th century, according to others only after the Second World War. What is certain is that the letters, in general, promised great fortunes to those who forwarded the message, while they threatened misfortune for those who, by receiving it and not forwarding it, broke the chain.
The name chain letter is used only in Italy. In other languages they are known simply as letter chains: chain letters in English, chain of letters in French, cadena de mensajes in Spanish, etc.
Message chains for ordinary mail
The chains already circulated by ordinary mail, since the first years in which national postal services were established, despite the fact that at the time it was necessary manually copy the messages and pay postage on letters. As we have seen, the first chains were of type religiousand spread not only in Europe, but also in the Islamic world. Furthermore, during the First World War the sending of prayers for peacewhich however was opposed by military commands and governments because it was considered a form of defeatist propaganda. In the 1930s the chains experienced greater success. In the 1934 in Italy it became popular to send letters inviting you to copy a message and forward itpromising great fortunes to those who did so. The chain, however, was blocked by the police, who prohibited the transmission of the messages. In the same years, in the United States, “send-a-dime letters”which invited you to send a dime (dime) to a person and add their name to a list of possible recipients. After the Second World War similar letters also spread to Italy.
Over the years, organizing chains became easier, particularly due to the spread of photocopiersthanks to which it was no longer necessary to copy the message by hand.
Chain letters in the age of the internet and mobile phones
The real boom in chain letters has occurred in recent years thanks to the spread of new telecommunications systems. Sending messages, in fact, is now much easier and cheaper than in the past: text messages, messaging applications such as Whatsapp, e-mail and social networks allow you to send messages at no cost and with minimal effort. As a result, chain letters had a enormous diffusion. Sometimes it’s simple well wishing messages (“send this message to five other people and in two hours you will receive a great fortune”, or something like that) which, although useless, are essentially harmless. Their only negative effect is to fuel the circulation of unwanted messages. In some cases, chains they promise the receipt of money. For example: “Today Whatsapp turns 10 and gives you a gift. Send this message to 10 people and you will receive 100 euros”. Such cases are hoaxes rather than frauds. However, on other occasions the chain letters they are real scams: an example are the fake humanitarian appeals for non-existent emergencies, which invite not only to forward the message, but also to donate money. In other cases, they are used for convey false informationsometimes making people believe that alleged “strong powers” hinder information about the truth: for example, “vaccines kill. Get it out there before pharmaceutical lawsuits censor”, and similar nonsense.
