Mailing lists Q

Sorry; posted this in the wrong group (.mail) first; I have 
cancelled that message and reposted it here.  This is a result of 
the REMOVE ME thread over in .mail.
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Huh, hadn't thought about mail lists in eons, I think; at least
years.  They almost always seem to unleash almost a ddos attack
on one's inbox and many unsuspecting newbies seem to still get
caught in them, no matter how well the descrips warn people about
the possible onslaught of messages.  Which brings me to my
question/s:

What purpose and what kind of person would subscribe to a full
blown mailing list?  What use could they be?

I've thought about databases; no, way too much crud to pick thru.
A very lonely person?  Maybe; if they like to read.  To learn?
Suppose that's a possibility.  A mailing list could help one cull
out the misfits ahead of time I suppose, and there is a lot of
good information hidden away in the many mails, but ... sheesh, a
couple days/weeks of lurking will do the same thing, and probably
a lot quicker.

Anyone got any responses that might make me feel like I have one
less ignorance-area in my life?

Regards,

Pop