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Anti-maskers and lockdown sceptics have started using smile emojis (e.g. 
) on their profiles and on badges to signal their views to fellow sceptics
It's unnamed creator said the symbol could give others the "confidence" to disobey rules if they knew they weren't alone
) on their profiles and on badges to signal their views to fellow scepticsIt's unnamed creator said the symbol could give others the "confidence" to disobey rules if they knew they weren't alone
The idea was popularised by Iv0r Cumm1ns, who shared an email from a follower proposing the idea
A website, Facebook stickers and badges have since started popping up in the fortnight since it was suggested
A website, Facebook stickers and badges have since started popping up in the fortnight since it was suggested
This message, shared by a user on Facebook, shows an eBay seller confused at how many smile badges she's suddenly sold within days Cumm1ns' post:
Why does this matter? Well, any movement that discourages people from following public health advice in a pandemic deserves to be challenged
And, social media companies have repeatedly promised to crack down on content aimed at encouraging others to ignore government advice
And, social media companies have repeatedly promised to crack down on content aimed at encouraging others to ignore government advice
Twitter told me the link to the SmilesMatter website has been marked as unsafe across Twitter, under its unsafe links policy
You can read the full story on @politicshome: https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/antimaskers-lockdown-sceptic-smiley-face-emojis-smilesmatter
You can read the full story on @politicshome: https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/antimaskers-lockdown-sceptic-smiley-face-emojis-smilesmatter
