포토보이스를 통해 본 비대면 시대 청년의 불안 경험

Abstract

This study aims to reflect on various anxieties experienced by young people amid the prolonged non-face-to-face situation caused by COVID-19. For data collection, Photovoice, one of the participatory research methods, was used. Photovoice is a method in which the participant becomes the agent and takes pictures related to the research topic and actively interpret them. During the process, research participants become actively aware of the situation they are in, and can reflect and explore alternatives to the situation through photographs. This study selected a total of 12 young people as participants and held photo voice workshops and in-depth interviews. The analysis of the results of photovoice activities classified data into 5 categories, 17 topics, and 79 units. The result of the study found young people suffering from total anxiety such as the disappearance of exploring period to prepare for the future, economic crisis and gap between rich and poor, loss of emotional support groups and lack of relationships, shrinking job market, and dissatisfaction with universities. Despite the deepening psychological and emotional crisis and anxiety, young people re-planned their lives and prepared for new challenges. Along with the importance of adapting to digital technology, they were also aware of the negative impact of technology development. Therefore, this study is meaningful in that it analyzed their anxious lives in various aspects in the absence of previous studies on the anxiety experiences of young people in their daily lives after COVID-19, and that it confirmed that Korean society has the need to actively cope with youth anxiety.