Corona challenges in social networks: please stop it

Many people are currently staying at home to stop or at least slow the spread of the coronavirus. Others lick objects in public places. You put yourself and others at risk. Influencers in particular should be aware of their responsibilities.

The corona virus is transmitted via droplets: when coughing, sneezing or speaking, the pathogens get into the air and end up in the body of another person through breathing or mucous membranes. In order not to infect yourself and others, one thing above all applies: keep your distance. Some also try to trap the droplets with a face mask.

But not everyone takes the threat of the corona virus seriously – the “Corona Challenge” shows this: on the video portal TikTok and on Instagram, users upload videos that show how they lick objects in public. They distribute potentially infectious droplets to places that many people touch – and they can be celebrated online.

The first corona challenge

The challenge apparently was initiated by the 22-year-old influencer Ava Louise from the USA. In mid-March, she filmed her licking an airplane toilet – and posted the clip on TikTok. In the video you can hear the words “It’s corona time” and it is also titled “Corona Virus Challenge”.

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One participant is infected with the corona virus

Probably the most famous imitator of the Challenge is “LARZ”, another influencer from the USA: He also licked a public toilet – a few days later he was diagnosed with an infection with the corona virus. His latest video on Instagram shows him in a hospital bed. It is possible that LARZ was already infected with the corona virus when he licked the toilet – and that it infected people in this way.

Corona Challenge in Munich

Another example of the Corona Challenge: In Missouri, America, a man in a Walmart licked deodorant sticks and closed them again. He also filmed himself and published the video. “Who’s afraid of the corona virus,” he asked. The clip is no longer online – the man was shown.

The challenge has already arrived in Germany: The rapper Felix Krull licked a ticket machine and the handrail of a staircase and a handrail in the subway at a Munich subway station. He also filmed himself and spread the video on social media. The police arrested the man and is now investigating for dangerous bodily harm.

Utopia thinks: Provoke and shock – this strategy can generate attention. Some people go far for likes and fame on TikTok and Instagram. But a limit was crossed here. The Corona virus is not to be joked with – it has cost thousands of lives worldwide.

Influencers and people with a long reach should be aware of their responsibility. Young people look up to them – and imitate them. All the more gratifying that the majority of influencers are using their influence positively: with the hashtag #stayathome, numerous celebrities and internet personalities have called for staying at home during the corona crisis. With #Maskeauf they explain the effects of (self-sewn) mouthguards. Of which more – and less dangerous corona challenges.

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