Facebook, Instagram Encourage Users to Wear Face Masks
The social media platforms are doing their part to promote safety as coronavirus cases rise in the U.S.
Facebook and Instagram have officially shown their stance on the face mask debate currently flooding the country. The social media platforms will now show messages on users’ feeds encouraging them to wear face masks and limit the spread of COVID-19.
On Facebook, users will see an alert at the top of their News Feed that directs to the COVID-19 Information Center and includes links to resources through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Instagram – which is owned by Facebook – will display a similar message with links to the CDC website.
As new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. rose by over 55,000 just last week alone, Facebook released a statement addressing their efforts to minimize the spread of misinformation and keep the public safe.
“Facebook is supporting the global public health community’s work to keep people safe and informed during the coronavirus public health crisis,” they said in the statement. “We’re also working to address the long-term impacts by supporting industries in need and making it easier for people to find and offer help in their communities.”
The CDC recommends that people wear face masks in public to reduce the risk of possible infection and protect others from getting sick.
With the rise in COVID-19 cases in the US, we’re putting an alert at the top of @facebookapp and @instagram to remind everyone to wear face coverings and find more prevention tips from the CDC in our COVID-19 Information Center. #WearAMask pic.twitter.com/lD29oACjoB
— Facebook (@Facebook) July 2, 2020
Containing false information across its platform has been a struggle for Facebook during the COVID-19 crisis. The social media giant is now including an alert system that informs users if they have engaged with a post that contains misinformation. Their statement also indicates that they will invest $100 million in the news industry and to support fact-checkers.
The efforts by large corporations, especially in the social media realm, to raise awareness of the virus’s impact and how to stay safe are as important as ever. At the time of this article, the United States has seen nearly 2.9 million confirmed cases in the last four months and over 132,000 deaths.
