The Media in the “Liquid” Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020. Communication During Lockdown: Separate but Together Cover Image

Media w płynnej pandemii 2020. Komunikacja w czasie lockdownu: oddzielnie, ale razem
The Media in the “Liquid” Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020. Communication During Lockdown: Separate but Together

Author(s): Tomasz Goban-Klas
Subject(s): Media studies, Theory of Communication
Published by: Wydawnictwo Wydziału Dziennikarstwa, Informacji i Bibliologii Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: GAFA;lockdown; communication; fear; pandemic;

Summary/Abstract: This paper deals with the use of media and their functions during the coronavirus pandemic. Thesis: a huge increase in the importance of mediatized communication in a situation of physical distancing in the conditions of a pandemic, which can be described as “liquid,” as it takes on the features of Bauman’s concept of “liquid modernity.” The graphic image of the coronavirus and its colloquial name, as well as the face mask shown by the media, are an essential component of the social structure of the pandemic image on a global scale. COVID-19 is therefore a biological construct, but also a media and social construct. The government-administered lockdown in the first quarter of the pandemic was widely and reliably followed, largely due to the strengthening of the “culture of fear.” At the same time, forms of remote communication and even group activities grew stronger. Research method: participant observation in remote learning and remote work. Analysis of the use of the sparse literature on the subject, desk research of expert statements. Results and conclusions: large information chaos in the first phase of the pandemic. The intensification of fake news in social media. A fertile ground for social stigma and conspiracy theories. Cognitive value: showing the media dimension of the pandemic and its consequences for strengthening the position of large information and communication companies (GAFA) and increasing the importance of forms of media communication in all types of social contacts. The article points to the importance of analyzing the functions, position and role of media - mass, social and individual - in conditions of spatial separation. Moreover, its considerations have a practical dimension - they can be adapted and developed in media practice.

  • Issue Year: 21/2020
  • Issue No: 4
  • Language: Polish