There will always be chain letters. Some even make it into the annual reviews of this one, for example in the “Action senseless” section.

Andre wrote about this on November 21, 2018:

The Gas Station Boycott: An Extremely Senseless Chain Letter!

The prices of gasoline and diesel are reaching very high levels again in Germany.

Of course, very annoying for commuters of all kinds. Probably for those who work from home or don't need to use their car at all: the price of gasoline in Germany is currently at a price level that has not been seen since 2012 The price is only higher in the Netherlands (1.68 euros/liter), Italy (1.65 euros/liter) and Denmark (1.62 euros/liter) (source ADAC, as of November 19, 2018 ).

What can you do now to at least not get that expensive price hit? There are several options, but this ONE option, as described in the following chain letter, is probably a completely nonsensical method:

Large protest against rising gasoline and diesel prices on Monday, November 26th, do not go to gas stations. If you need to fill up, you should do so on Sunday, November 25th. Send this protest to all your contacts to take a stand against the high gasoline and diesel prices

Send this protest to all your contacts to take a stand against the high gasoline and diesel prices

That's right... you should fill up on Sunday with a different price that might be cheaper on Monday and announce the whole thing publicly with this chain letter.

Incidentally, the decisive factor for price fluctuations is less the days of the week and more the times. In this respect, the days of the week do not matter.

Edit at this point: According to the Cartel Office and the Gas Station Association, short-term higher demand does not lead to higher prices.

What nonsense!

This type of protest may be one of the most ill-advised viral muscle-flexing actions to appear on social media in a long time. It just shows a kind of mood picture, but should have no effect whatsoever. From a political point of view, this chain letter could well have an intention, as the government parties, especially the SPD, are held responsible for gasoline prices. Very interesting at this point: since the chain letter is also being spread massively in Austria, at this point the criticism of the government is obsolete, as there are no discussions about possible tax increases on gasoline and diesel to this extent in Austria.

The content of the chain letter makes no sense, but what makes it even more difficult is that it is sent by countless people on Facebook or WhatsApp. That's all well and good, but on the one hand it's ineffective and on the other hand it's annoying spam due to mass mailing!

Ultimately, this form of protest is a mixture of typical social media methods. On the one hand, there is activism here, because you want to achieve something out of your own helplessness. On the other hand, so-called clicktivism can also be found in the chain letter, as you get the pleasant feeling of having already achieved something with just one click.

In addition, supported by the right timing, i.e. a high fuel price coupled with a little indirect criticism of the government, the chain letter in this form is extremely widespread, which has its origins in Germany (and has already existed in a similar form for weeks through photos of gas station prices). , but has now also arrived massively in Austria. Especially in its original form in Germany, the chain letter may also have a political intention.

Alternatives!

Dear friends of the fine intellectual peaks. If you really want to save money, then other ways make much more sense than this chain letter. Mimikama is not a fuel price advice site, but you are welcome to discuss it in the comments to this article on social media.

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