Someone trolled a blog post of mine on one platform with testimonial advertisement for masks that are NOT NIOSH approved, they’re not KN95s and not N95s, they have ear loops and the person with the testimonial was really stressing that it doesn’t mess up her hair and it feels like it fits tightly. And I can’t even find out if they’ve been tested at all or are anywhere near as good as even a surgical mask, but they advertise these masks as “medical” which I thought was interesting. I pointed out that I don’t appreciate my blog posts being used as a vehicle to promote goods of unclear quality and that ear loops don’t typically provide a very sure fit. The comeback was that ear loops are better than nothing. Yes, I agree, you’re better in any mask than none. But the fact remains that there are a lot of dodgy vendors who sell stuff online, not through advertising, which might get them in trouble, but through “testimonials” on blog comments and social media and reddit. And I don’t think saying hey, don’t get conned by masks that might not be effective is NOT the same as saying “fit tested N95 or nothing!” – it’s just not the same. But “both sides” keep getting pulled into these sit and spin strawman arguments that play well as “scissor statements” on social media and gets hotshots clicks and dopamine hits ramping up controversy, but it doesn’t advance science understanding or public health. It just distracts and divides up people who would otherwise be on the side resisting mask bans.
chloe kaczenski humbert