A Latino E-Virus

Nothing says that Hispanics are online in full force more than an email virus directed solely at them (and in Spanish). An item from People en Espanol reports that people have been getting viruses in emails that ‘deliver’ fatal news about the deaths of Luis Miguel, Shakira and/or Alejandro Fernandez. The emails appear to come from Televisa or CNN and are in fact vicious viruses. There is a lot of competing data about Hispanics online and their preferred language for navigation, but we know at least 33% prefer Spanish and market moves such as Impremedia gambling on Impre.com, Univision.com’s dominance and million of users, and even People en Espanol’s site all attest to the fact that the universe is large (also loyal judging for the growing ‘foros’ section on Univision.com). Of course, email is also heavily used among the group since it is a good way to stay connected long-distance. And while I have found no data to prove it, the incidence of hitting ‘forward’ seems to also be high, based on personal observations, so knowing about this virus can help prevent a further spread. Keeping in mind that the web has no geographical boundaries and the popularity of these artists beyond the U.S., there is no telling how many people could be taken by these false emails.

Share | July 9th, 2008 No Comments »
Tags: Digital · Entertainment · Media