What You Learn About Your Insecurities When You Wear a Face Mask — and take it off.

Face-masks are slowly becoming more commonplace in the west, now that we’re several months into the COVID-19 crisis.

Per the technology adoption curve below, the adoption of face-masks has been tracking a slow ascent. It was initially met by condescension and reluctance by most — including myself — because in some ways, it was symbolically against many of the freedoms and characteristics that shape our society.

When it came to the early adoption of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, people who had lived or suffered through SARS or H1N1 before it tended to be the early adopters, as defined by Everett Rogers in the technology adoption curve.

Today, because of the mixed messages we’re getting from politicians, health authorities and the media (“you should wear a mask to protect others”, “you shouldn’t wear a mask because they don’t protect you”) it’s unlikely that we’ll get to market saturation anytime soon — but that’s not the point of this article.

The point is what you might learn about yourself when you wear a mask…and take it off.