The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, research has explored various aspects of face mask use. While most of the research explores their effectiveness to prevent the spread of the virus, a growing body of literature has found that using face masks also has social meaning. But what social mean...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.829904/full |
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| author | Franziska Schönweitz Johanna Eichinger Johanna Eichinger Janneke M. L. Kuiper Fernandos Ongolly Wanda Spahl Barbara Prainsack Bettina M. Zimmermann Bettina M. Zimmermann |
| author_facet | Franziska Schönweitz Johanna Eichinger Johanna Eichinger Janneke M. L. Kuiper Fernandos Ongolly Wanda Spahl Barbara Prainsack Bettina M. Zimmermann Bettina M. Zimmermann |
| author_sort | Franziska Schönweitz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, research has explored various aspects of face mask use. While most of the research explores their effectiveness to prevent the spread of the virus, a growing body of literature has found that using face masks also has social meaning. But what social meaning does it have, and how does this meaning express itself in people's practice? Based on 413 qualitative interviews with residents in five European countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland), we found that the meanings of face masks have changed drastically during the first months of the pandemic. While in spring 2020 people wearing them had to fear stigmatization, in autumn of 2020 not wearing masks was more likely to be stigmatized. Throughout the first year of the pandemic, we found that mask wearing had multiple and partly seemingly contradictory meanings for people. They were perceived as obstacles for non-verbal communication, but also a way to affirm friendships and maintain social contacts. They also signaled specific moral or political stances on the side of face mask wearers and non-wearers alike, expressed their belonging to certain communities, or articulated concern. In sum, our findings show how face masks serve as scripts for people to navigate their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude that public and political discussions concerning face masks should include not only evidence on the epidemiological and infectiological effects of face masks, but also on their social meanings and their social effects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ee1ae2d96df342688c70b4350948de6e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-ee1ae2d96df342688c70b4350948de6e2025-01-31T11:02:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-04-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.829904829904The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 PandemicFranziska Schönweitz0Johanna Eichinger1Johanna Eichinger2Janneke M. L. Kuiper3Fernandos Ongolly4Wanda Spahl5Barbara Prainsack6Bettina M. Zimmermann7Bettina M. Zimmermann8Institute of History and Ethics in Medicine, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyInstitute of History and Ethics in Medicine, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyInstitute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Basel, SwitzerlandCentre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumMichael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandCentre for the Study of Contemporary Solidarity, Department of Political Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaCentre for the Study of Contemporary Solidarity, Department of Political Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaInstitute of History and Ethics in Medicine, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyInstitute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Basel, SwitzerlandSince the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, research has explored various aspects of face mask use. While most of the research explores their effectiveness to prevent the spread of the virus, a growing body of literature has found that using face masks also has social meaning. But what social meaning does it have, and how does this meaning express itself in people's practice? Based on 413 qualitative interviews with residents in five European countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland), we found that the meanings of face masks have changed drastically during the first months of the pandemic. While in spring 2020 people wearing them had to fear stigmatization, in autumn of 2020 not wearing masks was more likely to be stigmatized. Throughout the first year of the pandemic, we found that mask wearing had multiple and partly seemingly contradictory meanings for people. They were perceived as obstacles for non-verbal communication, but also a way to affirm friendships and maintain social contacts. They also signaled specific moral or political stances on the side of face mask wearers and non-wearers alike, expressed their belonging to certain communities, or articulated concern. In sum, our findings show how face masks serve as scripts for people to navigate their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude that public and political discussions concerning face masks should include not only evidence on the epidemiological and infectiological effects of face masks, but also on their social meanings and their social effects.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.829904/fullface maskCOVID- 19pandemicsocial meaningartifact |
| spellingShingle | Franziska Schönweitz Johanna Eichinger Johanna Eichinger Janneke M. L. Kuiper Fernandos Ongolly Wanda Spahl Barbara Prainsack Bettina M. Zimmermann Bettina M. Zimmermann The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic Frontiers in Public Health face mask COVID- 19 pandemic social meaning artifact |
| title | The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | social meanings of artifacts face masks in the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | face mask COVID- 19 pandemic social meaning artifact |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.829904/full |
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