COVID-19 and Media Consumption

The first thing I do when I start a new course is to check out the syllabus. I like to mark important dates on my calendar, see exactly what I’ll be learning, and look forward to exciting projects. When the syllabus for ASCJ-200 came out, I was thrilled to see that we were assigned a video remix project. 

I have never been able to really work with video. In the past few years, I have done most of my story telling through writing and photography, so this was a task I was really looking forward to. 

When the process of creating this video remix began, I was a little less excited, and a little more nervous. I had no idea what I wanted my video to be about, how I would make something that people would want to watch, and how I would convey a message without using my own writing or voice. Because of my concern towards these objectives, I decided the best way to make something powerful would be to brainstorm and to just start creating. 

During my brainstorming period, I decided that doing a project over COVID-19 would be a way to challenge myself as a storyteller. The whole issue of the novel coronavirus is so new, so rampant, and so complex. These were all elements of the story, elements that I knew had to be shown in my project. 

Initially, I thought I could follow the idea of the “misinformation surrounding coronavirus.” After some research, I became less thrilled with that idea, and more interested in seeing the ways that people were reacting to COVID-19 (most of them being anxious). This is where my idea for this video really blossomed. 

Anxiety is something that has always been an outcome of global issues. Something interesting, however, is the amount of anxiety that COVID-19 has caused for people around the world. As my 87 year old grandmother puts it “I’ve never seen a damn thing like it.” The way that the media has presented this virus with so much fear and caution has created a world that now lives in complete fear. The anxiety of watching the news and hearing about lockdowns, loss of work, hungry people, and handling this virus is something that has saturated the world.

I want to mention that I am not promoting a world where we are not informed or concerned. This situation is terrible and is something we should all be educated on. However, I do find that the over consumption of media surrounding COVID-19 can be very hurtful to individuals. Although it is completely normal to feel afraid during these difficult times, I wanted this video to show how to remove yourself from the media at times when you just need to.  

To convey this message, I broke my video into three core pieces. The first piece of the video displays how the media is constantly talking about COVID-19. This is almost designed to create a feeling of anxiety. The second part was put in to show how the overconsumption of news media is hurtful. This part of the video is practically my thesis for the entire project. The third piece of the video shows happy times at home, the goal of staying happy and healthy during this health crisis. Time spent with family, by yourself, on the phone, and dancing in your underwear may just be the thing that keeps you sane in this crazy time.