Social media networks are now targeting young people, encouraging them to go and get the Covid-19 vaccine.
This follows the announcement on Wednesday 16th June that Brits aged 21 will now be able to get their jab
Social media networks such as Snapchat and TikTok have joined the online drive in pushing younger people to get fully vaccinated through filters and other incentives. Snapchat users will be able to use new NHS stickers and a filter that says “I’ve had my vaccine.”
Users will also be shown links to the NHS website, World Health Organisation (WHO), and other “reliable sources” of information, including a Q&A which will be held on the prime minister’s Snapchat account. TikTok is also adding vaccine stickers and filters to their platform whilst also working with scientists to share clips about the jab.
The government’s latest campaign hopes to tackle “vaccine hesitancy” amongst younger people aged 18-21, which they state is caused by “misinformation” about the jab which is shared online.
Dr Karan Rangarajan, an NHS surgeon, and influencer who has 3.9 million followers on TikTok, told Sky News: “Misinformation affects all groups equally and there is a large user base that is in their late teens or early 20s.
“They are also in the UK the last cohort to be eligible for the vaccine so it’s a really important group to target.” Despite pushing for younger people to get the jab, one in eight adults aged 16-29 reported that they would not get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Other social media platforms which have been involved in the vaccine rollout are Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit.
It seems like censorship is one of the key tools that big tech platforms use to target “misinformation” and encourage users to roll up their sleeves and submit to the jab. Earlier this year, Facebook deleted a 120,000-member group where people shared stories of adverse reactions to the Covid-19 vaccine.
For a vaccine so safe, why did groups like this exist? Why are big tech platforms going to such extreme lengths to not only censor vaccine victims and to promote the jab?
Read More: Social Media Networks Now Targeting Young People – Promoting Covid-19 Vaccine
