Should you post a ‘vaccine selfie’? Health experts weigh in on social media trend
As millions of Americans roll up their sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine, many are documenting the occasion by snapping a photo for friends and family to see.
These days, it’s hard to scroll on Facebook and Instagram without coming across the ubiquitous “vaccine selfie.”
Most feature a smiling face with a caption like, “Get vaccinated, I did!” in hopes of encouraging their vaccine-reluctant peers. However, the social media trend has sparked backlash and online debates about what is proper “vaccine etiquette.”
Supporters say the photos help provide assurance that the shot is safe, but critics argue that they can also come off as braggadocios — especially to those still struggling to find a dose. But what do public health experts say about it?
“I think we need to use every channel available,” Richard Baron, president and chief executive of the American Board of Internal Medicine, told The Washington Post last month.
Baron is among the medical experts who have praised vaccine selfies as a way to reassure others and said public photos of people getting their vaccinations “makes it normative,” the newspaper reported.
Pediatrics resident Brit Trogen agreed, likening the vaccine selfie to a “public service” that could help boost confidence and improve public perception of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The thousands of photographs of health-care workers beaming into the camera lens or shedding tears of joy and relief offer a profound emotional counterpart to the overwhelming statistics of the pandemic,” Trogen wrote in a column for The Atlantic. “Together the people posting these early images share a formidable message: We believe in this so strongly, we’re not only volunteering to go first, but are thrilled to be given the chance.”
More than 113 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the U.S. with about 12% of the total population now fully immunized against the virus, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three shots are currently available to the public — the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and the one-dose shot from Johnson & Johnson.
Etiquette expert Dianne Gottsman said it’s important for people know their audience before uploading a vaccine selfie, so as not to come off as insensitive, according to Kaiser Health News. The Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau have also advised against posting photos of vaccination cards containing sensitive information.
Trusted public figures, politicians and celebrities including Michelle Obama and Dolly Parton have taken to social media to share their vaccination experience in hopes of encouraging others to do the same. Then-President-elect Joe Biden got his shot on live TV, as did media mogul Tyler Perry during a prime time special geared toward the Black community.
Skepticism among communities of color is why NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro, who identifies as Hispanic, said she decided to snap a photo of herself getting vaccinated earlier this month.
“I wanted to show that it was OK,” Garcia-Navarro told guest and fellow journalist Steven Petrow on Sunday. “The other thing I also felt is we have been through so much. I think it’s important to show that there is joy, and there is something positive that is happening.”
Petrow, a columnist for The Washington Post, mentioned the initial wave of vaccine selfies from nurses and other medical professionals before his feed was flooded with photos from everyday people now eligible for the shot. He said that while the photos serve a larger purpose, they may not always be well received.
“It’s a little bit of a badge of courage,” he told Garcia-Navarro, NPR reported. “I think it’s a little bit of bragging. So there the question I would ask myself if I were to do it is, why am I posting this picture? You know, what am I trying to convey?”
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 12:59 PM with the headline "Should you post a ‘vaccine selfie’? Health experts weigh in on social media trend."