Silence as a Metaphor in the Polish Radio Reportages during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sciendo
Abstract
Silence became one of the important aspects of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article discusses how this social experience was presented in radio reportages, for which silence is not only a topic but also an element of the construction of the message. The reports of the Polish Radio, produced in lockdown conditions, document silence from a double perspective: the transformation of the broadcast sphere of large metropolises and the private sound space of the characters. Silence, as a phonic phenomenon, functions as a universal metaphor for fear, threat, “curse of isolation,” but also hope. Experiencing silence goes beyond the individual feeling thanks to a metaphoric line through which the recorded stories gain a universal context. The analysis of audible materials shows the mechanism of the constitution of these meanings, as well as selected media functions of silence as a tool for modelling content and managing the recipients’ attention.
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Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, radio reportage, sound, silence, metaphor
Citation
"Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Film and Media Studies", 2021. Vol. 20, nr 2, s. 52-67
ISBN