3 minute read
Media
SOCIETAL INCLINATION TO
MEDIA
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Exploring the human gravitation towards relatable and jarring media ia
RAJASI LADDHA
print editor-in-chief either the scientists or the media could have predicted the events that followed March 2020. Society descended into chaotic disarray as COVID-19 began plaguing the world over two years ago, leaving no person or corner of the world untouched. Unemployment rates and the housing crisis skyrocketed as the world shut its doors to the public, leaving everyone confined within the boundaries of their homes with little to no in-person social interaction. Humans are inherently social creatures - they crave constant collaboration and cooperation, a trait that studies reveal stemmed from early evolution. Yet, a global pandemic stole that element of social connection from society, leaving many exposed to feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. To combat the plethora of rising negative emotions, we, humans, turned to the only connection left with society, the media, for comfort and support during these trying times. All of Us Are Dead, a Korean apocalyptic drama released in late January of 2022, offers a jarring social commentary on the vulgarity of human character and the COVID-19 pandemic’s lasting effects on society through the impact of a zombie virus that plagues Hyosan High, a Korean high school. This drama, however, does not put forward any groundbreaking critique in the apocalyptic genre yet, garnered the attention of millions in different countries and communities. No one experienced the global pandemic the same way; however, apocalyptic media prevails relevant to all no matter where one lives on this Earth due to our apocalyptic COVID nightmare. This fictional world plagued with a zombie virus draws many parallels to ours, a world infected by the coronavirus. The Korean government in All of Us Are Dead left the students in a quarantined camp for an extended period as they attempted to prevent the spread of the virus. At the same time, they deciphered the incu-
bation period of the virus. However, the lack of communication between the students and the government left the students disoriented and frantic. Humanity struggled to grasp the actual severity of the virus with the minimal information provided and uncovered to the general population due to mishandling of the situation by governments across the globe. The beginning of the pandemic near mimicked that scenario. Moreover, in the K-drama, the adults rescued from Hyosan High were brought into a military-run quarantine camp and immediately isolated from those not infected. Hyosan High students and teachers faced massive discrimination; multiple towns staged protests demanding that no one from Hyosan be allowed to reside inside. Thousands of refugees throughout the pandemic fled to seek asylum in first-world countries yet were faced with closed borders and discrimination. It is a human inclination to consume media they relate to, connect with others, and feel associated with people who understand and relate to us. Seeing similar situations in media may provide means of catharsis to the general population, allowing them to accept their circumstances and confront their fears through another medium. According to Anthony Tobia in an interview with Invasive, Tobia says: “This process is “usually referred to as [a] counterphobic attitude, where an individual basically runs towards their fear.” With the world experiencing an unprecedented event, people tend to seek reprieve in media like All of Us are Dead. The characters are placed in worse conditions than the current reality of the pandemic, providing one an outlet to process their current reality surrounding COVID-19 and reduce their fears of the rapidly changing world