Showing posts with label influenza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label influenza. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Using Social Media Channels to Share Positive Messages


For the last 30 days, we have heard our news media, government officials, many in the medical community, and everyone else with an opinion share how the Coronavirus would have devastating and tragic outcomes for our society as we know it.  These scare tactics have altered the course of history and prompted good people to turn on each other because of how they received the message.  Those who questioned the numbers that were being provided were villainized by their friends and family as well as accused of being money hungry capitalist pigs.

The internet, Social Media and Digital Media Engagement has played and continues to play a vital role in public sentiment of all of the issues we face today.  This experience that has affected the world is a perfect example of why businesses should take an active role in utilizing the World Wide Web in sharing their positive message which will lead to higher sales, positive online reputation and a stronger reach on the internet.

Make no mistake about the Coronavirus.  It is a virus that can cause death.  One death is too much and nobody wants to see a family member or loved one suffer.

DeliveryMaxx is actually excited to see more and more reports showing that the original predictions that the Coronavirus was and is not as apocalyptic as the news media has tried to make us think.  In fact, March 26th a few media outlets (not the mainstream) quoted the Epidemiologist behind the highly-cited Coronavirus model drastically downgraded his projection.  Yes, this was the same person, Neil Ferguson who projected 2.2 million would die in the United States (6027 deaths a day!) and over 500,000 in the United Kingdom.  Now, even though many in the news media are not sharing the same report they used to scare the public, the report is stating that hospitals will be just fine estimating 20,000 or fewer in the U.K. and 60,000 or fewer in the United States could die.


This morning, CNN just reported that the Coronavirus death rate is lower than previously reported, but still deadlier than the seasonal flu.  Now we are starting to get to a realistic talking point.  Remember, as long as you are scared you will read the news or watch the nightly dialogue.  These news outlets need to sell advertisement and the more viewers the more money they make.  CNN hasn’t completely dismissed all of their false reporting (nobody wants to admit they are wrong), but they have moved their estimations from as high as 15% will die after being infected to predicting .66% of those infected with the virus will die.  They have taken into account potentially milder cases that often go undiagnosed.  In other words, out of everybody infected -- not just those sick enough to get tested -- how many people will die?  Researchers combined that data on "infection prevalence" with public information on reported cases and deaths, estimating the overall death rate to be about two-thirds of 1%.  That number, though, went up in older adults, with approximately 7.8% of those 80 or older estimated to die after infection. And deaths were estimated to be exceedingly rare in children younger than 9, with a fatality rate of just 0.00161%.  For age groups younger than 40, the death rate was never higher than 0.16%, according to the study. Out of 1,000 young adults infected, then, about 1 or 2 could die, with the youngest people facing the lowest risk.

Do you think for a moment that mainstream media is catching on that more and more people are questioning our government and the false information our politicians have been saying are being vocal on social media?  Take for example the article written, “Why Flattening the Curve is Overrated” in Pensford.  When written on March 23rd, the author stated he would be eviscerated by friends and family more than ever.  He wrote the article after the huge market plunge and was accused of being a greedy person who only cared about himself.  This was said even after he stated, “Coronavirus is exceptionally dangerous and highly contagious.  We were ill-equipped to handle a pandemic.  I personally was ignorant to the risks and to our own inability to counteract them.  None of what I am about to say is rooted in a belief that this virus isn’t terribly serious.”  The article went on to talk about social distancing provides the illusion of control, not actual control, over the virus.  He shared that there is no vaccine and flattening the curve simply kicks the can down the road.  Think about that for a second.  We have shutdown many small businesses while leaving Walmart, Best Buy, Academy and other Big Box Stores open.  Fast Food drive-thru’s still have people preparing, touching and passing out food to their consumers.  I still question how one business employees are unable to transfer the virus, but another set of employees are not.  Where he was viciously attacked was when he declared that the News Media and other ill-informed people were assuming that 100% of the population would get the virus.  Which we won’t even without a quarantine in place because that is not how viruses work.  There is no precedent for an influenza virus spreading to 100% of the population.  Next, even at a 100% infection and 1% mortality rate, which would be 3.3 million Americans would have been worst case scenario.  He stated the willingness to endure some economic hardship to avoid losing 3 million Americans, but how much.  The article then went on to show the devastating affects if the unemployment were to get to 20-30% and the additional hardships many more millions would face such as nourishment, housing and increase crime rate.  Ultimately, we have traded one set of potential lives lost for a generation of hardship that will ultimately lead to the loss of life.

Finally, Medical Examiners are taking the liberty of classifying deaths of suicide, heart disease and other mortality contributors to the Coronavirus.  An article, March 24 called Case-Fatality Rate and COVID-19 Death Characteristics in Italy which was released by the American College of Cardiology showed a high percentage of examples as to why the virus death totals were so high in Italy.  The Media did not share these facts.  Instead, they took pictures of patients on a ventilator in Italy and said that these were infected patients in New York.  The story fit their narrative and fear continues to drive people into irrational behavior.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Today’s technology has allowed information about businesses, political uprisings, social injustice, latest norms and anything else one can dream of to be spread through the masses faster than the Bubonic Plague “Black Death” that struck Europe and Asia in the 1300’s.  In five years, that plague would kill almost one-third of the continent’s population.  Could you imagine if our ancestors had social media back then?  Do you think we would have seen pictures of King Edward of England or his Court using diapers and orange peelings to cover their faces as they walked through the streets of London?  How would we react today if we faced a true plague?

What if we had social media during the 1930’s and 1940’s?  At first, Hitler and the Nazis would have villainized the Jews for all of the hardships Germany was facing.  They would have taken the approach to point out the poverty level and try to tie it to one race of people when in fact it was directly from the Treaty of Versailles, signed in June 1919 at the Palace of Versailles in Paris at the end of World War I, codified peace terms between the victorious Allies and Germany.  The Treaty of Versailles held Germany responsible for starting the war and imposed harsh penalties in terms of loss of territory, massive reparations payments and demilitarization.  Because the German People did not have the means of mass communication; they were not able to spread their message without physically being persecuted themselves.  Google has provided us instant facts and figures for us to make arguments on both sides.  The one who is able to utilize social media and provide the most content that spreads to the masses (REACH) will actually win.  Businesses need to know this when they are putting together a digital strategy.

Before World War II, the United States was divided over the issue of Slavery.  Those who defended slavery rose to the challenge set forth by the Abolitionist.  The defenders of slavery included economics, history, religion, legality, social good, and even humanitarianism, to further their arguments.  Defenders of slavery argued that if all the slaves were freed, there would be widespread unemployment and chaos. This would lead to uprisings, bloodshed, and anarchy. They pointed to the mob's "rule of terror" during the French Revolution and argued for the continuation of the status quo, which was providing for affluence and stability for the slaveholding class and for all free people who enjoyed the bounty of the slave society.  At the peak of black slavery in the South, only 6 percent of Southern whites owned slaves. If you include the white people in the North, it means that only 1.4 percent of white Americans owned black slaves at the height of slavery.  Yet, 258,000 southerners fought and died in the Civil War which was 22.6 percent of Southern men who were between the ages of 20-24 in 1860.  What if wives, mothers and children of the soldiers had the ability to share their online reviews or opinions of slave ownership? Would we have had brother fighting against their brother leading to 618,222 deaths in our relatively new nation?

History can teach us a lot.  The utilization in today’s technology can be instrumental in how we get our messages out to the people.  Today, more users/consumers are viewing the internet to get the majority of their information.  No matter which side of the fence you are on in any issue; one will be able to find information to support their position.  This is important for businesses now more than ever.  They must have a digital media strategy that includes a well-built website, optimized social media channels directing viewers back to the website, daily post on the social media channels, videos promoting their message, blogs written to highlight their products or services, a positive online reputation and social media engagement from their customers or fans.  Having the right digital media strategy will be vital for businesses to operate in our current climate and will be a must to survive the aftermath of these grave decisions that have been made.

DeliveryMaxx is able to customize and create a strategy for businesses, churches, automotive dealerships, real estate agents, medical teams, non-profits and any entity that is trying to gain more exposure on the web.  With clients in multiple industries and across the country; we utilize our Patent-Pending Program to develop a digital strategy that will meet the needs of sales, service and messaging to the masses.  We are one of the only digital media company that provides a simple to use app which will allow to immediately collect online reviews, post engaging videos and online content with branding and advertising.  The program is embedded with digital code helping increase SEO which provides first page results on the Search Engines.  It is a tool that is implanted with a complete digital strategy giving their clients a competitive advantage over the competition.  For more information about DeliveryMaxx contact (888) 938-6299 or watch the DeliveryMaxx Introduction Video!