Everyday Life and Everyday Communication in Coronavirus Capitalism

  • Christian Fuchs University of Westminster, Communication and Media Research Institute & Westminster Institute for Advanced Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31269/triplec.v18i1.1167
Keywords: coronavirus, COVID-19, everyday life, everyday communication, critical theory, critical theory of communication, means of communication, communication technology, capitalism, ideology, fake news, false news, crisis, public health, Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey

Abstract

In 2020, the coronavirus crisis ruptured societies and their everyday life around the globe. This article is a contribution to critically theorising the changes societies have undergone in the light of the coronavirus crisis. It asks: How have everyday life and everyday communication changed in the coronavirus crisis? How does capitalism shape everyday life and everyday communication during this crisis?

Section 2 focuses on how social space, everyday life, and everyday communication have changed in the coronavirus crisis. Section 3 focuses on the communication of ideology in the context of coronavirus by analysing the communication of coronavirus conspiracy stories and false coronavirus news. 

The coronavirus crisis is an existential crisis of humanity and society. It radically confronts humans with death and the fear of death. This collective experience can on the one hand result in new forms of solidarity and socialism or can on the other hand, if ideology and the far-right prevail, advance war and fascism. Political action and political economy are decisive factors in such a profound crisis that shatters society and everyday life.

Two episode sof the tripleC-podcast focus on this paper:
https://triplec.podbean.com/e/everyday-life-and-everyday-communication-in-coronavirus-capitalism-part-1/
https://triplec.podbean.com/e/christian-fuchs-podcast-communication-capitalism-critique-episode-2-everyday-life-and-everyday-communication-in-coronavirus-capitalism-part-2-1586813458/ 

Author Biography

Christian Fuchs, University of Westminster, Communication and Media Research Institute & Westminster Institute for Advanced Studies

Christian Fuchs is a professor at the University of Westminster.  He is co-editor of tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique. His research interests are: critical theory, social theory, political economy of media and communication, critical digital media studies.
URL: http://fuchsc.net, Twitter @fuchschristian

Published
2020-04-01
Issue
Vol 18 No 1 (2020)
Section
Reflections (Non Peer-Reviewed)

tripleC is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal (ISSN: 1726-670X). All journal content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Austria License.