Artifacts 1-5: Background of Coronavirus and its Role in Society Today
Artifact #1: This table from Varnum and Grossman's article, "Cultural Change: The How and the Why" (2017) provides definitions of the major terms utilized throughout their paper. The chart gives a definition of the term "culture" that I utilize throughout my podcast. The table is useful because it allows listeners to have a uniform understanding of what I am referring to when I speak about culture.
Artifact #2: This map is from the European CDC and depicts the number of coronavirus cases around the world as of April 29th, 2020; which was a few months into the pandemic. The map allows the listeners of the podcast to visually see how widespread and serious the coronavirus is.
Artifact #3: This map was put out by the New York Times. It shows where mask mandates are present in the U.S., depicting levels from "no restrictions" to "mandatory." This artifact is to show the listeners the prevalence of the coronavirus, as well as state governments' involvement in society. As there are mandates to wear masks, we are able to understand how the virus plays a role in everyday life, through the societal norm of face masks.
Artifact #4: The first image is of the cover photo from an article in the New York Post. The article discusses what 'cancel culture' is and how it has been used in society. The image of the text goes along with the cover photo of the NY Post article. It shows the content of the article that gives a working definition of cancel culture. The two images contribute by allowing readers to understand cancel culture and how it is being used to support my hypothesis of an increase in the tightness of social norms surrounding precautionary measures for the pandemic.
Artifact #5: The image is one that was out by the MTA and is posted on various forms of public transportation in New York. The image illustrates the incorrect ways to wear a mask, as well as the correct way. The utilization of this picture in society supports my argument about how there is a culture of mask-wearing in the U.S., which results in the tightness of social norms.