Analyzing the meaning of social images during pandemic lockdown

ABSTRACT

Our paper focuses on the semiotic analysis of images as shot by photojournalists. The photographs we analyze were taken in two different cities in Spain during a period of strict enclosure. For the analysis, we asked photojournalists to select several images. Once we received a selection, we analyzed the content of the images and categorized them. We processed the resulting information through statistical methods. The results show the importance of two variables: judgment and social emotions. While both variables show positive and negative significance, the results indicate the relevance of negative meanings. This may be due to a social logic centered on survival and individualism. This leads us to think that there has been a process of descaffolding during the period analyzed.

KEYWORDS:

• Image analysis
• SARS-CoV-2
• Spain
• emon
• social signs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The dataset can be consulted at the following link: https://uvadoc.uva.es/bitstream/handle/10324/60232/Social%20Semiotic%20data.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Juan R. Coca

Juan R. Coca is Professor at Department of Sociology and Social Work at University of Valladolid. Director of Social Research Unit about Health and Rare Diseases. Also, he is director of book series “Biosocial world: Biosemiotics, and Biosociology”. Associated Editor of Journal of Rare Diseases (Springer) and Frontiers in Sociology.

Claudio J. Rodríguez H

Claudio J. Rodríguez H is an assistant professor at the Department of General Linguistics at Palacký University in Olomouc, Czechia. He is currently a board member at the International Society for Biosemiotic Studies and a managing editor at Biosemiotics and Linguistic Frontiers.

Juan A. Roche-Cárcel

Juan A. Roche-Cárcel is Professor of Sociology of Culture and the Arts at the University of Alicante (Spain). He is currently President of the Committee for the Sociology of Emotions of the FES (Spanish Federation of Sociology) and Vice-president of REDISS (International Research of Sociology of Body and Emotions)

Alberto Soto-Sánchez

Alberto Soto-Sánchez has a Degree in Psychology and a Diploma in Physiotherapy, Master's Degree in Research in Neurosciences, and PhD in Psychology at the University of Oviedo since 2015. Nowdays, he is part of the Research Teaching Staff in the Psychology Department at the University of Valladolid since 2018.