Abstract
This article and accompanying comic strip/poster explore the narrative research affordances of comics in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore the concept of empathy from a self-conscious auto-ethnographic perspective, producing a co-designed one-page comic out of the experience. The comic depicts two middle-aged brothers in conversation with their mother and father on FaceTime. After initial confusion and mild struggle with the technology, the parents adjust to the communication situation and begin to enjoy communicating with their sons, who make light of the situation. The aim of the comic is to persuade readers that it is better to struggle with and accommodate to technology than to risk visiting elderly relatives who are particularly susceptible to COVID 19. Meanwhile, the reflection on the comic discusses the thought processes and materials that went into creating it and implications of those.
Highlights
In the period between March and May 2020, we have been working on simultaneous projects employing qualitative methods to create comics in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
Interested in further developing the participatory narrative research affordances of comics, we have rehearsed with autoethnographic methods, reflecting on our own experience during the pandemic
Similar advice regarding contact via videoconference has been issued by several international charities, including HelpAge International
Summary
Covid-19 response: Visualizing the experience of videoconferencing with aging relatives. This is the accepted version of the paper. This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to. Title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. Comics as Covid-19 response: Visualizing the experience of videoconferencing with aging relatives. Published at ACM Interactions: Friday, June 12, 2020, available at https://interactions.acm.org/blog/view/comics-as-covid-19-response-visualizing-theexperience-of-videoconferencing.
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