But why do we need so much to show that we are vaccinated on social networks?

He posted a selfie on Facebook, syringe on his arm, with the mention “Done”. An approach that Wajdi, forty-something living in Pont-Audemer (Eure), easily explains to 20 minutes : “I am rarely active on Facebook, but I wanted to share this moment with everyone. Because vaccination concerns us all. A photo is always more meaningful than a text. It catches the eye instantly ”.

Wajdi is not the only one to warn his community. Because with the acceleration of the vaccination campaign (31.5% of the French had received a first injection Tuesday evening), the “vaxxies” (English contraction of “vaccine” and “selfie”) have multiplied on social networks these last few weeks. Internet users also post their vaccination certificate (even if it is dangerous *) or update their status to report the news.

A vaccine awaited as the Grail

A trend inspired by the wave of “vaxxies” observed in the United States a few months ago. In France, this staging of the first injection started with the photos of Olivier Véran, shirt open, which were highly commented: “Castex did it too, as did Michel Cymès and other personalities, which explains the mimetic effect of this type of communication, ”observes the semiologist Pauline Escande-Gauquié, lecturer at the University of Paris-Sorbonne Celsa.

The need to share this personal information is also due to the exceptional health context in which we have been living for a year: “After all the restrictions we have suffered, this long-awaited vaccine is the Grail. And what is rare is precious. As the doses gradually arrive, the French have entered the quest for their dose, as shown by those who frantically update their Doctolib pages to find an available niche. Those who have managed to have an appointment have the impression of being part of the pioneers and want to highlight it publicly ”, analyzes Vanessa Lalo, psychologist specializing in digital practices.

“I also posted this information to reassure those around me”

If getting vaccinated is first and foremost a personal approach, Internet users who communicate on the subject also do so to connect with the collective, according to Pauline Escande-Gauquié: “They always stage themselves during significant events in social life. . We remember the selfies at the polls that flooded the networks during the second round of the presidential election, when Emmanuel Macron faced Marine Le Pen. There, it is a question of showing that they are part of a citizen approach of vaccination, as recommended by the government. One of the primary functions of the selfie is to provide proof through the image, ”explains the semiologist. “They want to send a public health message to the rest of the population. These posts are thumbing their noses at antivax, an act of social responsibility to indirectly call on others to be vaccinated, ”adds Vanessa Lalo.

These messages are also sent to their relatives, as Wajdi testifies: “I also posted this information to reassure those around me”. “It’s a way to warn your circle of friends and family that there is less danger in the face of Covid-19, that we are also trying to protect them,” said Pauline Escande-Gauquié. “Besides, the reactions to these posts are positive and not controversial. They are liked or commented on by “bravo”. As if everyone was happy for the other and was aware that individuals were protecting the collective and vice versa, ”explains Vanessa Lalo.

A need to immortalize the moment

But these messages should also be seen as a form of relief. “The vaccine is a key to freedom, even if we do not yet know if it will protect against all variants and if we should not abandon barrier gestures,” explains Vanessa Lalo. “There is a kind of euphoria linked to the beginning of a recovery of freedom and social life. The fact of having received a first injection, or even a second, is also to say that we will soon be able to obtain a health pass, allowing access to gatherings or events and to travel abroad ”, completes Pauline Escande-Gauquié.

Finally, these “vaxxies” and these posts are intended to become precious memories. “They will be markers of History, because we are all aware of the immortality of digital traces”, comments Vanessa Lalo. “These photos, these statutes, will constitute a personal archive collection of this period, in the same rank as the photographs where masks are worn. Because we all need to keep track of this extraordinary period that we have been living for a year, ”insists Pauline Escande-Gauquié.