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A Report On Covid's Impact On Visual, Oral, Textual Communication. (WIP)
A Report On Covid's Impact On Visual, Oral, Textual Communication. (WIP)
A Report On Covid's Impact On Visual, Oral, Textual Communication. (WIP)
report on Covid’s impact on visual, oral, textual communication.
(WIP)
Introduction:
The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) a Public
Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020. On March 11, 2020, the
World Health Organization classified the COVID‐19 outbreak as a pandemic. According to
the WHO, there have been 263,563,622 confirmed cases of COVID‐19 globally as of 10:06
a.m. CEST on January 6, 2021, with 5,232,562 fatalities attributable to COVID‐19. The
COVID‐19 pandemic exposed individuals to psychological anguish, weariness, occupational
burnout, fear, and stigma; consequently, good communication should be provided in the
workplace, families, and communities. To save people's lives from COVID‐19, health systems
actively increased response procedures such as finding, isolating, testing, treating, and
tracing transmission. In this circumstance, the media and social interactions are
predominantly dominated by massive volumes of material concerning COVID‐19.
Responding to COVID‐19 necessitates crucial planning and execution, with good
communication as a key tactic. Communication is a method of conveying or exchanging
messages through speaking, writing, or utilizing other media. During a pandemic,
communication conveys messages to individuals and takes a much broader strategy.
When COVID‐19 became a pandemic, our communication methods altered practically
overnight. Many of us have changed the bulk of our interactions with other people in order
to assist limit the spread. This involves transitioning from in‐person talks to online means of
communication such as video conferencing, phone calls, texts, or email, as well as wearing
masks inside or when social distance is impossible.
And, while we will continue to adjust to this "new normal," it comes at a highly emotional
period, with a certain amount of bewilderment, aggravation, and a loss of in‐person
connection that we are attached to.
The coronavirus epidemic has made communication more vital than ever.
The coronavirus outbreak has altered how we communicate. We've had to create
alternatives for greetings, gestures, and other nonverbal indications and have been advised
to wear face coverings and keep our distance from one another.
Nonverbal cues involve voice tone, eye contact, facial expressions, and body language.
They're also important to how people interact since they assist us manage our interpersonal
connections. "It's so ingrained in how we see the other person that we nearly always believe
the nonverbal if there's a discrepancy between what we're saying and how we're behaving
nonverbally. It's forcing us to look for alternatives [such as elbow bumps instead of fist
bumps], which may be adorable and enjoyable in some circumstances. However, they are
constantly giving the message that this is all a ruse. There's a sense that we're not being as
genuine as we used to be [when we were] together because we're having to put on this type
of show.
We're starting to pull those kinds of second string behaviors forward and use them because
they are also natural to us. People still lean forward in Zoom calls, even though they’re not
talking to someone in the same room. “It's very spontaneous and authentic, which is what
We are learning how to use language to stand in for the courtesy we would otherwise show
nonverbally—and building a new set of norms along the way.
For young people, these habits could become permanent. They are going to be internalizing
these norms and probably staying with them in a way that older people like myself are not
as locked in. The pandemic is accelerating young people’s shift away from nonverbal
communication, which began with their heightened attention to media and technology. We
are so oriented toward our devices, especially young people, that we are finding it harder to
want to engage the other person rather than the device. Even when we're in literally the
same space.When we predominantly use devices to communicate, we aren’t exposed to
nonverbal cues that stimulate what Jones and her colleagues call mirror neurons, which
generate empathic responses.
Digital and visual communications are a crucial method in disseminating information during the
COVID‐19 pandemic. From slice‐of‐life diary pieces to public health information on guidance and
symptoms, visual storytellers are using their platforms to share their stories and disseminate
information. While digital platforms have the capacity to facilitate misinformation, they have also
been utilised to ensure the spread of important, and potentially lifesaving, information.
The dissemination of COVID‐19 guidance is a key element to managing the pandemic. Due to social
distancing and lockdown regulations, the pandemic has made social media and digital
communication essential for public health communications. Social media has been a major outlet for
this as it is part of daily routine for a large part of the population and has become an indispensable
method of giving and receiving information. Although social media has been criticised as a platform
for misinformation and fake news, if correctly used the government and public health authorities
can benefit from a large platform that is accessible to many. This is something that designers and
graphic storytellers are working on changing where visual data and social media are being used to
create better methods of communications.
The power of images in communications is stronger than ever; online visual content is 40 times more
likely to get shared and articles that include images every 75‐100 words receive double the shares
than those without (PWC 2017). During the pandemic, visual information has become more
important for a wide range of reasons, including ensuring those who have difficulty reading, and
interpreting a high amount of information have a means to understand what is being
communicated.
combining pictures and text enhances understanding and can help increase recall of health
information. This is a major aspect of ensuring guidance is met in, for example, washing hands or
how to correctly wear a mask and test from home.
Visually, comics and imagery are easy to engage with compared to long pieces of text and are
effective for a wide range of the population. As the written aspects are minimal and simplistic, they
are accessible to a broad range of audiences, including the young and old. Since public health
messages can be complex, these kinds of visuals can be especially useful where English is not a
person’s first language, or those who have a difficulty reading written information and therefore can
make for a powerful method of communication. Research suggests that we are better at learning
and remembering content we’ve seen in pictures than text, a phenomenon known as Picture
Superiority Effect. This makes comics a perfect candidate for the dissemination of important public
health information to maintain and manage the pandemic.
Comics and visuals can communicate both risk factors and social issues surrounding an illness.
Readers can relate to events and experiences, creating empathy (McAllister 1992). Although visual
storytelling and public health messaging through social media may not be the only method needed
to effectively spread information and manage the pandemic, the on‐going projects funded by the
AHRC show the power these aspects can have. Information that includes visual elements such as
video, photographs and sketches have the power to reach a larger audience than without and can
ensure information is interpreted in the correct way. This in turn can show the increasing
accessibility of information needed for future guidance to the public when managing public health.