The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT: 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 pandem

SUBMITTER: Schonweitz F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9049272 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature