This IGAF (Is Goodness a Fashion) series explores, from a non-expert point of view, the social, economic and narrative ramifications I see developing from the COVID-19 crisis, worries, but also hopes for a future that the current shock to the system may result in.
I don't know what to say about media in relation to COVID-19. A couple of reasons: I quit most social media a few years back, a move I regret and don't at the same time, and I don't watch TV- not even streamed evening news. So my perception of the way this crisis has been reported has been shaped by articles I chose to read in media I follow anyway, both in the mainstream and otherwhere, Youtube and, more recently, Twitter. This is a very unusual position for me to be in, as I usually try to gain as broad an overview on media practices in shaping the narrative in this kind of situation. But, even as I reload the various news feeds and blogs I'm following every minute, this is not the worst place to be in.
On one of the advantages to this medial self-isolation is simple: I have a relative choice of outlet and am subject to less random bombardment by comments, opinions, advertising and propaganda . It gives me time to think, check, read comments if I feel the need to, and follow some stories from the beginning to the end, even if I am less exposed to all the opinion that is available online. It's lonelier than many ways to go through what we're calling "the lockdown", but it does allow for some perspective that goes beyond the present, and it does force me to meet people outside of the digital sphere.
In one of my past lives, I studied marketing and communication design, and practiced them pretty rigorously, both as an approach to life and as work. In this capacity, I also tried to keep track of relevant market and societal trends, to research and analyse what would drive markets in the next months, and what collective discourses were unfolding. This translates into me taking a macro view of developments, rather than focusing on the individual, and being better at analysis and recommendation than in direct action- though, experience shows, not hopeless. It also means that it is difficult to discuss current events with people who are not accustomed to viewing their lives as a series of trends, influences and networks of decision and information.
The marketer in me sees different brands rising and falling, a race to control narrative and damage to the value of the brand- financial and perceptive- in a global market of opinion and sooooo many trillions to be made. The brands are nation states, the value- lives and thereto related, containment measures, production and distribution of medical supplies, the control of the imminent threat to the future standing of the brand. The applause, the ships, the masks, the doctors, the chancellors, presidents and queens- a good show of a very bad situations in some place, in some a PR and operational nightmare. The production value is basically the sink and then some- they're rolling it all out- all of it. For us.
And I am greatful- truly. The city of Berlin knows its people very well, and is making it easy for me to shelter in comfort, with some trepidation towards the future, but with a present that doesn't look too bad. We, indeed are the lucky ones, and I acknowledge that I am personally better off than many in general location and health so far, for doing very little. And for a moment there, I feel like I'm safe and home. Let's see how long that lasts.
Signifiers of this mistrust might be: are they wearing a mask? Do they work in a place that requires them to leave their home? Are they adhering to the current quarantine? Do they live in a quarter that is especially affected by the pandemic? Are they keeping their distance?* Further questions arise should surveillance mechanisms and the ubiquitous tracking of individuals take hold: Which buildings can you access? Are they allowed to be in this part of town? At this time of day? Can we employ a person with this particular health record and levels of exposure? Do we have to take this person off the street and imprison them?
There are two moments that spring to mind when I think about these questions: one is from media, in which someone quoted that people who had to be present in physical spaces were less affected by "lockdowns" than people who could work from home. This appears logical to me, as people who have to go to work, not to mention health care workers, are more exposed to the external symptoms of these lockdowns, and have to deal with the societal shift in perception as it emerges, while I imagine people in home offices are more exposed to the heavily mediated narrative.
The second is my interactions with friends, some of whom are on social welfare. To quote Janis Joplin- "freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose". They are- so far, in Berlin, Germany- losing very little. By already being on social welfare, the bureaucratic adjustments to lives are currently minimal, although job opportunities have been much reduced in the short term, as have the hours most people work (including me). Money is going to be a little bit tighter and "unofficial" work possibly a bit harder to come by, tips certainly are, but it's nothing new for most in this situation. The only way is up and on. There's less up, but as long as there's an on, we'll muddle through, if we survive. But, as another friend asked :"Would we Survive Moria?"
Another aspect that bears examining are the spatial narratives that are being redefined- beyond our individual perception and guidance in medial environments, what signifiers of pandemic regulation are being introduced into our shared spaces, what are the economic and sociocultural semiotics of lockdown and necessarily increased regulation on the one hand and solidarity on the other? How long are these expressions visible? What is suppressed, either by authorities, or by the public? Do public spaces in general still function as an relatively unrepressed sphere of public opinion, or has the balance shifted towards a more regulated, hegemonically dominated dissemination of guidance?
One of the main questions times like this pose is one of historical accountability. In the aftermath, will we hear the story of how the world changed to support the lives of many who collaborated to improve systems that were revealed to be broken through a cathartic, global moment of realisation? Will we be told of the fearless captains of industry who guided the world towards hitherto unseen productivity and financial opportunities? Will it be a narrative of nation states, opposing each other to maintain their individual status quo's, or a story of a world that has overcome differences, historical animosities other obstacles to face the unknowable? Who will be mentioned in these accounts, and what will be deemed deserving of mention?
As we move from the immediate presence of a threat towards steps to deal with this threat, towards, one would hope, a long-term resolution of an emergency situation, what stories will we have to tell ourselves, and which ones will we choose to believe? Will we end up calling the process "social distancing" or "physical distancing"? Will the process of dealing with this crisis leave us with the impression of a world that is a deeply-ingrained threat to every individual, or one in which we know that we are mostly safe as long as we take certain precautions?
Part VI of the current IGAF:Disappearing the inconvenient.
Part V of the current IGAF: Money, Politics and People- Distributing Profit a bit more fairly
Part IV of the current IGAF: Dystopia
Part III of the current IGAF: Keeping a shop open
Part II of the current IGAF: How are we going to pay for THAT?
*All of these questions include second-level questions about race, gender, nationality and economic participation. To deal with those individually would take up a lot of space and knowledge others are better equipped with.
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| via Raul Krauthausen :) |
On one of the advantages to this medial self-isolation is simple: I have a relative choice of outlet and am subject to less random bombardment by comments, opinions, advertising and propaganda . It gives me time to think, check, read comments if I feel the need to, and follow some stories from the beginning to the end, even if I am less exposed to all the opinion that is available online. It's lonelier than many ways to go through what we're calling "the lockdown", but it does allow for some perspective that goes beyond the present, and it does force me to meet people outside of the digital sphere.
In one of my past lives, I studied marketing and communication design, and practiced them pretty rigorously, both as an approach to life and as work. In this capacity, I also tried to keep track of relevant market and societal trends, to research and analyse what would drive markets in the next months, and what collective discourses were unfolding. This translates into me taking a macro view of developments, rather than focusing on the individual, and being better at analysis and recommendation than in direct action- though, experience shows, not hopeless. It also means that it is difficult to discuss current events with people who are not accustomed to viewing their lives as a series of trends, influences and networks of decision and information.
The marketer in me sees different brands rising and falling, a race to control narrative and damage to the value of the brand- financial and perceptive- in a global market of opinion and sooooo many trillions to be made. The brands are nation states, the value- lives and thereto related, containment measures, production and distribution of medical supplies, the control of the imminent threat to the future standing of the brand. The applause, the ships, the masks, the doctors, the chancellors, presidents and queens- a good show of a very bad situations in some place, in some a PR and operational nightmare. The production value is basically the sink and then some- they're rolling it all out- all of it. For us.
And I am greatful- truly. The city of Berlin knows its people very well, and is making it easy for me to shelter in comfort, with some trepidation towards the future, but with a present that doesn't look too bad. We, indeed are the lucky ones, and I acknowledge that I am personally better off than many in general location and health so far, for doing very little. And for a moment there, I feel like I'm safe and home. Let's see how long that lasts.
“The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.”At the same time, I wonder how the many narrative strands will unfold. One of the terms I've been hearing a lot is "social distancing". Social distancing invokes the shades of segregation, class-based societies and may be a very tongue-in-cheek reference to the wealth gap that is being made visible via who can stay at home and who not- the distinction, as someone put it, between "employee" and "worker". A distant society has many gaps that must be crossed- I have referred to this as an Inside and an Outside society- and new borders of legal, class-based and new forms of biological mistrust are imposed within society.
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Signifiers of this mistrust might be: are they wearing a mask? Do they work in a place that requires them to leave their home? Are they adhering to the current quarantine? Do they live in a quarter that is especially affected by the pandemic? Are they keeping their distance?* Further questions arise should surveillance mechanisms and the ubiquitous tracking of individuals take hold: Which buildings can you access? Are they allowed to be in this part of town? At this time of day? Can we employ a person with this particular health record and levels of exposure? Do we have to take this person off the street and imprison them?
There are two moments that spring to mind when I think about these questions: one is from media, in which someone quoted that people who had to be present in physical spaces were less affected by "lockdowns" than people who could work from home. This appears logical to me, as people who have to go to work, not to mention health care workers, are more exposed to the external symptoms of these lockdowns, and have to deal with the societal shift in perception as it emerges, while I imagine people in home offices are more exposed to the heavily mediated narrative.
The second is my interactions with friends, some of whom are on social welfare. To quote Janis Joplin- "freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose". They are- so far, in Berlin, Germany- losing very little. By already being on social welfare, the bureaucratic adjustments to lives are currently minimal, although job opportunities have been much reduced in the short term, as have the hours most people work (including me). Money is going to be a little bit tighter and "unofficial" work possibly a bit harder to come by, tips certainly are, but it's nothing new for most in this situation. The only way is up and on. There's less up, but as long as there's an on, we'll muddle through, if we survive. But, as another friend asked :"Would we Survive Moria?"
Another aspect that bears examining are the spatial narratives that are being redefined- beyond our individual perception and guidance in medial environments, what signifiers of pandemic regulation are being introduced into our shared spaces, what are the economic and sociocultural semiotics of lockdown and necessarily increased regulation on the one hand and solidarity on the other? How long are these expressions visible? What is suppressed, either by authorities, or by the public? Do public spaces in general still function as an relatively unrepressed sphere of public opinion, or has the balance shifted towards a more regulated, hegemonically dominated dissemination of guidance?
One of the main questions times like this pose is one of historical accountability. In the aftermath, will we hear the story of how the world changed to support the lives of many who collaborated to improve systems that were revealed to be broken through a cathartic, global moment of realisation? Will we be told of the fearless captains of industry who guided the world towards hitherto unseen productivity and financial opportunities? Will it be a narrative of nation states, opposing each other to maintain their individual status quo's, or a story of a world that has overcome differences, historical animosities other obstacles to face the unknowable? Who will be mentioned in these accounts, and what will be deemed deserving of mention?
[…] We need to fight the colonization operated by austerity measures beyond the immanent threat, which will be rolled out through online teaching, remote working, and diagrams of ‘student satisfaction’. The struggle can be carried working within the uncertainty of the current times—breaking in and opening-up spaces of encounter and circulation beyond the institution, beyond the self.
—via: https://www.societyandspace.org/articles/bio-austerity-and-solidarity-in-the-covid-19-space-of-emergency-episode-2
As we move from the immediate presence of a threat towards steps to deal with this threat, towards, one would hope, a long-term resolution of an emergency situation, what stories will we have to tell ourselves, and which ones will we choose to believe? Will we end up calling the process "social distancing" or "physical distancing"? Will the process of dealing with this crisis leave us with the impression of a world that is a deeply-ingrained threat to every individual, or one in which we know that we are mostly safe as long as we take certain precautions?
Part VI of the current IGAF:Disappearing the inconvenient.
Part V of the current IGAF: Money, Politics and People- Distributing Profit a bit more fairly
Part IV of the current IGAF: Dystopia
Part III of the current IGAF: Keeping a shop open
Part II of the current IGAF: How are we going to pay for THAT?
*All of these questions include second-level questions about race, gender, nationality and economic participation. To deal with those individually would take up a lot of space and knowledge others are better equipped with.
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