The Coronavirus Pandemic in the Conceptual Sphere of Media Discourse in Russia and China: a Survival Strategy

Abstract

The article presents the results of a research into the problem of implementing cognitive models in processing information on the new coronavirus pandemic by Russian and Chinese mass media. The study involved a linguo-cultural analysis, a content analysis and a discourse analysis of publications in the period of March–June, 2020. The study is aimed at identifying and characterizing the concepts and communication semiotic resources of the media discourse used to present this information. The authors analyze over 600 texts of various genres and formats in Russian and Chinese media. The interpretative method helps to see the link between a media text and its social context, as well as between the interpretation of a fact in media discourse and the author’s and reader’s world models. According to the results of the study, processing and spreading any information, namely — the infodemic, or misinforming the public about the virus, involves a deliberate use of immanent concepts typical of members of a particular culture. The prevalent information flows about COVID-19 cause fear and trigger the instinct of self-preservation. In this context, it is the archetypes of the culture that are becoming the key remedy providing for modelling a culture-marked image of the country in the media landscape. The frames «weak body» and «death», and the theme of humans' vulnerability to the new threat have made people think about the purpose and values of life. The basic cognitive models in processing the frightening information are the core Chinese and Russian culture concepts, namely, collectivism, family, and good. The awakened cognitive stereotypes are aimed at preserving the social immunity of the country. The results of the study can be useful for fundamental interdisciplinary researches into basic cultural realias objectified in the media and in the works of journalists and other authors.