Media During Pandemic Crisis in India: An Analysis of People’s Perception During the First Wave of COVID-19

Abstract

In April 2021, India was hit by the second wave of COVID-19 (News18, 2021, Second wave of COVID-19 very similar to first wave: Govt cites data to alleviate fear). People realised that the second wave of COVID-19 is more devastating than the first wave. Different factors might have influenced the perception of people during the first wave of COVID-19. The needful amount of fear among the people was reduced by the end of the first wave and normalcy was gained, which might have triggered the second wave of COVID-19 in India. The research aims to determine the perception of respondents about the COVID-19 crisis and to analyse the influence of media in instilling fear, stress, anxiety, tension, relief and ignorance among them when they read about the pandemic during the first wave of COVID-19. Based on the defined objectives, a questionnaire was prepared and the link to the survey was distributed around the country. According to the study’s findings, people were affected in many ways during the first wave.