Almost everyone living today has experienced, since last year, something they did not want to experience in any form: a pandemic with serious health and economic consequences. It's just that, unlike other times when similar viruses killed people, there is now the internet. That's why tech giants have played a huge role in this complicated time.
If you are somewhat connected to what is happening around you, then you are more likely to remember the news that started coming from China towards the end of 2019. Then there were the specific symptoms of a strong flu encountered in more and more people.
It didn't take long for officials to realize it was a new virus, for which there is little treatment. The news from the Asian state, led by a communist government, was hard to come by. Initially, a cover-up was attempted, but the extremely serious situation could not be hidden indefinitely under the rug. In just a few months, the virus had spread to all corners of the globe.
Fast forward to May 2021, social networks and major platforms have played a huge role in spreading information about the coronavirus pandemic. A number of conspiracies circulated during the pandemic, but the volume was huge with the authorization of the first vaccines.
Since then, the Internet has become more polarized than ever.
Hate immunization and misinformation on Facebook
When you think of the tech giants, you immediately think of Facebook, the empire built by Mark Zuckerberg. It is a network that counted in the first months of the year, according to Statista, no less than 2.85 billion users. It is fast approaching the 3 billion mark, which is almost half of the planet's population.
Facebook has become, since the beginning of the pandemic, the main platform on which information about the new type of virus was circulated, and opinions have always been divided. There are many analysts who believe that the network has done nothing to stop manipulations from Qanon-type groups, and this is just one example.
Once the vaccination campaign started in most developed countries, Facebook users were divided into more or less visible camps.
On the one hand, there were those who argued that vaccination was the only way to return to normalcy, and on the other hand, there were those who argued loudly that vaccine meant the population, among other things, and that everything was run by a shadow. the so-called occult world.
With the handkerchief on the drum
Facebook has not moved a finger because, in fact, for the social network it is extremely important that as many people as possible gather around a topic, whether it is real or not. It's about reach, engagement and other profile terms.
A recent study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research shows, for example, that the myth about 5G was the fastest spreading, much faster than other conspiracy theories. It is a technology unknown to many and then the interest in such of theories was extremely high.
Although experts say that it is nothing more than a step forward - as was the case with the transition from 3G to 4G - there have been many who have believed and still believe that antennas spread the virus. Hard to understand, given that many of those who believe this actually deny the existence of the virus.
The study shows that fake news about the dangers of 5G technology and its links to coronavirus have spread online and on social networks since the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. One of the most well-known cases concerns the telephone antennas in Great Britain, burned by a small group of people after they thought that they were 5G and that this way they would stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Also, a report by the Center for Digital Countering Hate and Anti-Vax Watch found that up to 65% of the "anti-vaccine content" on Facebook and Twitter comes from 12 influencers in the anti-vaxxer movement.
A white ball for the picture
However, Facebook has sought to show that it cares about the vaccination campaign. It's just that everything was just a picture game and only in this respect did he score.
He announced that he allows you to show your friends that you have been vaccinated and everything is done through the profile picture. It is, in fact, a special frame by which you show that you have received the serum, and the social network considers that the function is useful for encouraging others, not as a reason for praise. The position is already available in the United States, but more than likely it will arrive in Romania soon.
The message is simple: "I was vaccinated against COVID-19."
As I said, it's a white ball only in terms of image and mimicry of interest, because the platform did nothing to stop the spread of vaccine lies.
It is enough to look even in Romania to observe these things. Characters such as Adina Alberts, Flavia Groșan and Olivia Steer, whose opinions are known even before the pandemic, continue to have tens or even hundreds of distributions of posts on their accounts.
In other words, you can't go wrong with Mark Zuckerberg's attention that a badge with the message I got vaccinated doesn't help much. But suspending an account that spreads lies and statements that contradict what doctors say, yes.
Apple and Google are fighting side by side
Last year, the two giants had come up with the solution to make it much easier to identify the number of infected people and create a more secure space for the others.
The two companies have jointly developed a system for tracking infected people. The plan was for this system to be offered to Governments, starting with those in France and the United Kingdom (who were also interested). From now on, the authorities could start developing their own applications based on the infrastructure provided by the two American companies.
The technology allowed a contact map of a confirmed patient with COVID-19 to be organized in the form of a map. Thus, based on it - built with data collected from phones - new cases could be discovered, but it could be kept under control and spread. The "communication" between the phones was done via Bluetooth, and the two companies would have taken care of data security and data transmission.
Each user then chose whether to install such an application, developed by states or other private entities.
However, things did not go as well as the parties would have liked. Governments would have wanted to abuse these systems and control the population through them.
The NHS, the UK's Public Health Service, has called on Apple and Google to help the UK authorities build a similar application for monitoring positive citizens. Only Apple and Google were reluctant, precisely because they had already developed a similar system that they did not want to give away for free or in the form of Big Brother.
The two companies said then that governments could abuse their power.
It was a good idea at the time, but it wasn't put into practice. The good news is that the infrastructure exists and has now been adapted to identify those vaccinated.
Tinder, benefits for the vaccinated
Closer to the present day, the initiative of dating applications, starting with Tinder, should not be ignored.
Among those who launched special functions for those who received the anti-Covid serum are Hinge and Bumble. They promise to hook you up faster and make it easier to find a partner as soon as possible if you say you've been vaccinated.
In addition to the information that is usually required of you, the platform would also like more information about you. It is not mandatory to answer one way or another, but it is clear that it gives you benefits if you are vaccinated. Just like on Tinder, Hinge promises you more matches (ie matches with partners or partners).
The new features that dating apps make available to users vary: from badges that certify that you got vaccinated to free access to premium features, for which you normally needed a subscription. You will also find links to useful information about vaccination.
The goal is for more and more users to get vaccinated, at least in the hope that they can connect faster and that the application can make it easier for them. Studies conducted by OKCupid, an application with the same profile, show that those who have been vaccinated or plan to do so have 14% more match-type interactions.
One thing remains unclear, however. Apps can't really check if you've been vaccinated or not. For this reason, users' answers must be taken as such and the premise is that everyone is telling the truth.
It is clear that social media platforms and networks play a crucial role in all the major events happening in the world, but the crisis situations are the ones that best show the face of these digital giants.
It's good to look back and see how they behaved in the pandemic. It's a lesson in a future that promises to be at least as unpredictable.