How do you talk to a whole country about COVID-19? Use a GIF

If you used or lurked on Twitter in March 2020, chances are you saw, or even shared, an animated GIF illustrating how our actions could help “flatten” the COVID-19 “curve.” The teal and orange GIF toggled between two scenarios. In the “whatever” approach, a person downplays the seriousness of COVID-19, which soon leads to health care capacity being overwhelmed. In the alternative “don’t panic, but be careful” approach, a person is shown promoting such things as staying home when sick, which helps “flatten the curve” and keeps hospitals safe.