Pandemic Awareness Visual Rhetoric

In social media we see images that are meant to convey a specific message about the post. An image posted by the instagram page called @newyorkercartoons is a great example of how an image conveys a hidden message. The image is depicting the relation between the changes in people’s lives due to the covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent depression.

The image is captioned “the Summer Concert Series,” thus focusing on the timeline over the summer, specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since people could no longer go to concerts, virtual concerts were how people continued to live. During this time, many people felt isolated, alone, and depressed. The man in the picture reflects these feelings and shows how it can affect people. The message of the image is to encourage people to come together and relate to the feelings of one another.

Through the use of color, props, and staging, it is obvious the man in the image is in his feels. By first glance, you can see the image is colored with a blue color scheme, representing the grief he is feeling. There are also multiple shades of blue, showing the many complexities of what is missing in our lives and the many layers to it.

In addition to the colors used, in the image the man is holding up a light, similarly to what people do at concerts. His desire for life to be back to normal is shown here, since he is making the same actions as he would during pre-pandemic times. At concerts there are tons of people watching the same performance, showing a unified crowd. In the same way, he holds a candle as a display of his depression to feel the unity of a lively and in-person concert.

Looking through the window, it is clearly nighttime. Typically when people can not sleep, it is because they are sad or stressed. Comparably, the man in the picture is up late, possibly due to the sadness he is feeling.

In the image, the man is facing the window, which also communicates a message. It shows the viewer that even though they are locked away in their homes, life still goes on. Likewise, even though the man is watching the virtual concert, life is still going on outside. While surviving a pandemic, we must continue to live.

It is clear that the visual rhetoric strategies conveyed a message related to the feelings regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time when many lives were significantly altered, people were struggling in the same way. With the use of technology and social media, connecting people to relate to each other’s feelings is a great way to cope with the sadness which follows. This image dipicting this man’s life is a reflection of how many people feel during life changing times of depression.