Advocating Mask Wearing Through Social Media

While we can and do continue to do our part to encourage mask wearing in interpersonal contexts, social media has become one of the most rapid and effective ways to advocate for mask-wearing. When we say “a picture is worth a thousand words” this rings especially true as we scroll through various feeds on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. There is a collective goal in mind to keep each other and ourselves safe. While vaccines continue to role out and proper CDC guidelines remain intact, there are still great risks that we face at this time.

One of the biggest issues on social at present is outdoor mask wearing. People are ready for summer to start, they are ready to feel the sun hit their face, and breathe that fresh air. The messages that are communicated on social media when mask use is no longer a factor is that people get a sense that this is all over and we can go back to “normal”. What really helps is the social media posts that continue to encourage others to do their part, wear their mask, and follow CDC guidelines.

From our Social Media Ambassador Laura Zhou-Hackett:

“My experience with social media has helped raise awareness for mask-wearing and mask-safety by showing my followers photos of real people who I photographed wearing masks. People appreciate seeing real human beings on their social media feed. One particularly effective post I made about masks was an image of me and my sister sledding down Mt. Philo wearing the Masks4Missions masks. I tagged the Vermont State Parks page, and they reposted my photo on their Instagram page which reached many more people than my following alone could (25.2k people!). I asked them to tag Masks4Missions which they happily did, so 25,000 people thought a little extra about mask-wearing that day. It felt nice to be spreading such a positive message to people all around Vermont.”