COVID-19 in Mass Media: Manufacturing Mass Perceptions of the Virus among Older Adults

dc.contributor.authorPelletier, Petra
dc.contributor.authorKanozia, Rubal
dc.contributor.authorArya, Ritu
dc.contributor.authorLefort, Claire
dc.contributor.authorMcLaughlin, C�cile
dc.contributor.authorBoespflug, Magali
dc.contributor.authorAlain, Sophie
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-21T10:16:53Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-13T10:05:49Z
dc.date.available2024-01-21T10:16:53Z
dc.date.available2024-08-13T10:05:49Z
dc.date.issued2023-03-17T00:00:00
dc.description.abstractAccording to the latest The Global Risks Report (2022) of World Economic Forum, the large-scale coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat creates various tensions that might lead to unexpected cascading impacts in various domains. Nevertheless, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, about 120 nm in diameter, remains invisible to people whose cognition, emotions, and health-related behaviors are driven primarily by the subjective perception of the virus. Mass media communicating information, symbols, beliefs, and codes of conduct to the population contribute widely to the socially constructed representations of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus. Thus, the aim of the current research is to investigate the impacts of the common COVID-19 mass media image of the "ball with spikes"representing the SARS-CoV-2 virus on older adults particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 coronavirus disease and fake news dissemination. This research is based on an innovative mixed-methods research design that combines questionnaires (N = 144), semi-structured research interviews, and pictographic measures (N = 26). The primary results demonstrate that individuals' perceptions of and emotional reactions to the invisible SARS-CoV-2 virus are shaped by mass media exposure, as the "ball with spikes"became a familiar symbol of the COVID-19 virus, marked by the symbolism of dangerousness and mystery with a divisive aesthetic. The current research that aims to highlight the role of mass media as the vector of an icon image of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus provides additional elements that may contribute to improved crisis management effectiveness of future pandemic outbreaks. � 2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1515/opis-2022-0143
dc.identifier.issn24511781
dc.identifier.urihttps://kr.cup.edu.in/handle/32116/3059
dc.identifier.urlhttps://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opis-2022-0143/html
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherWalter de Gruyter GmbHen_US
dc.subjectCOVID-19en_US
dc.subjectimagesen_US
dc.subjectmass mediaen_US
dc.subjectperceptionsen_US
dc.subjectSARS-CoV-2 virusen_US
dc.titleCOVID-19 in Mass Media: Manufacturing Mass Perceptions of the Virus among Older Adultsen_US
dc.title.journalOpen Information Scienceen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.type.accesstypeOpen Accessen_US

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