Iconicity during COVID-19

Afomia: Hello, everyone! 

Thea: This week, we’re going to be discussing iconicity, which we’ve been talking about in our Sociology class.

Elliott: Different from text, icons are condensations of symbols in specific material form. When we first encounter an icon, we pull together denotations and connotations of moral depth together. In that sense, there’s a certain surface-depth dynamic that’s involved. Icons are fundamental in communicating and experiencing public life. 

Gage: Icons are everywhere. They have been popping up all over social media and the news recently, due to COVID-19.  

Afomia: For example, I’ve seen lots of photographs of protesters going around, some of which have been really compelling. There have been symbols of medicine appearing in the media, especially since almost every hospital in the country has been very active in fighting the disease.

https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-texas-lockdown-protesters-anti-vaxxers-chant-fire-fauci-2020-4

Thea: I think this photo is compelling and has been floating around the media. I think it’s interesting because the American flags paired with the sign draw in ideas about freedom and rights.

Gage: This is showing the struggle that many people are facing due to social distancing practices.  Americans believe their freedoms and rights are being infringed upon since no one can go where they want, whenever they want.  This photo shows that people want life to go back to “normal”, without regard to the consequences of COVID-19 spreading more.

Elliott: This photo is also compelling because it directly mirrors the wording that pro-choice advocates use when defending women’s health rights, but the message, in this case, is drastically different. This photo is, in this sense, ironic because most audiences see the “My body, my choice” phrase within the context of feminism and women’s reproductive rights, but in this case, the person in the photo is using the same phrase but to protest the use of masks. 

Afomia: Furthermore, a lot of the symbols we see in images like these (including the masks) have a new connotation that will forever change how we see them. The surgical mask isn’t just something nurses and doctors wear anymore; they’ve almost become a ticket to social interaction, with a huge emphasis on people wearing them whenever they go out in order to prevent contraction of the virus.

Thea: Masks have become an icon in the sense that some people regard them as promoting health and safety while others see them as a way for the government to control us. It brings into question what America should value - freedom or safety. 

Gage: This has become a critical issue for Americans during the quarantine period.  We will be addressing this topic throughout our last posts, but we wanted to ask our readers a question.  Which do you feel is more important in this time of social isolation and crisis? Should Americans be allowed to have their freedoms restored with the Coronavirus at large or should the government continue to use more social distancing methods to stop the spread?

Works Cited

Flores, Sergio. 2020. A Protestor Holds up a Sign Protesting Wearing a Mask. Retrieved May 8, 2020 (https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-texas-lockdown-protesters-anti-vaxxers-chant-fire-fauci-2020-4).