From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic

During the first half of 2020, the novel coronavirus —a biological entity invisible to the human eye— was represented in multiple images, audiovisual products, descriptions, narratives and other modes of visual and verbal articulation. Many of these were developed by international organizations, gov...

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Autor principal: Moreno Barreneche, Sebastián (author)
Formato: article
Idioma:espanhol
Publicado em: 2021
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Acesso em linha:https://revistas.ucu.edu.uy/index.php/revistadixit/article/view/2650
https://hdl.handle.net/10895/6067
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author Moreno Barreneche, Sebastián
author_browse Moreno Barreneche, Sebastián
author_facet Moreno Barreneche, Sebastián
author_role author
collection LIBERI
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Moreno Barreneche, Sebastián
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021-11-17
2025-12-22T16:37:34Z
2025-12-22T16:37:34Z
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://revistas.ucu.edu.uy/index.php/revistadixit/article/view/2650
10.22235/d35.2650
https://hdl.handle.net/10895/6067
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv spa
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidad Católica del Uruguay
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://revistas.ucu.edu.uy/index.php/revistadixit/article/view/2650/2392
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv Derechos de autor 2021 Dixit
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Dixit; No. 35 (2021): Dixit; 110-127
Dixit; Núm. 35 (2021): Dixit; 110-127
Dixit; N.º 35 (2021): Dixit; 110-127
0797-3691
1688-3497
10.22235/d35
reponame:LIBERI
instname:Universidad Católica del Uruguay
instacron:Universidad Católica del Uruguay
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv coronavirus
COVID-19
semiotics
representation
constructivism
coronavirus
COVID-19
semiótica
representación
constructivismo
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic
De entidad biológica a monstruo social: Una construcción semiótica del coronavirus durante la pandemia de COVID-19
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Artículos
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
description During the first half of 2020, the novel coronavirus —a biological entity invisible to the human eye— was represented in multiple images, audiovisual products, descriptions, narratives and other modes of visual and verbal articulation. Many of these were developed by international organizations, governments and media outlets, amongst other social actors, with the aim of rendering the threat posed by the virus more tangible. At the same time, these representations also helped shape how people made sense of it in cognitive and emotional terms. Assuming that social reality is constructed in multiple and dynamic processes and interactions that imply the production, distribution and consumption of meaning at various levels, this article examines from a semiotic perspective one of the modes of representations of the coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic: the one grounded on the overarching narrative that depicted the virus as an evil enemy that poses a threat to humanity and that, consequently, needs to be fought. The article organizes the study of a number of representations of the coronavirus in three levels —the iconic, the axiological and the narrative— and discusses how the discursive construction of an enemy involves a series of mechanisms of semiotic nature that, besides somehow representing it, also shape its social construction.   *This article was originally published in 2020, in English, under the title "From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic," in the Italian journal Fuori Luogo, 7(1), pp. 105-115. DOI https://doi.org/10.6092/2723-9608/7041. The translation from English to Spanish —which is unchanged from the original version, except for the addition of new bibliographic entries— was done by the author.
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institution Universidad Católica del Uruguay
instname_str Universidad Católica del Uruguay
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oai_identifier_str oai:liberi.ucu.edu.uy:10895/6067
publishDate 2021
publishDateSort 2021
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidad Católica del Uruguay
reponame_str LIBERI
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rights_invalid_str_mv Derechos de autor 2021 Dixit
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
spelling From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 PandemicDe entidad biológica a monstruo social: Una construcción semiótica del coronavirus durante la pandemia de COVID-19Moreno Barreneche, SebastiáncoronavirusCOVID-19semioticsrepresentationconstructivismcoronavirusCOVID-19semióticarepresentaciónconstructivismoDuring the first half of 2020, the novel coronavirus —a biological entity invisible to the human eye— was represented in multiple images, audiovisual products, descriptions, narratives and other modes of visual and verbal articulation. Many of these were developed by international organizations, governments and media outlets, amongst other social actors, with the aim of rendering the threat posed by the virus more tangible. At the same time, these representations also helped shape how people made sense of it in cognitive and emotional terms. Assuming that social reality is constructed in multiple and dynamic processes and interactions that imply the production, distribution and consumption of meaning at various levels, this article examines from a semiotic perspective one of the modes of representations of the coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic: the one grounded on the overarching narrative that depicted the virus as an evil enemy that poses a threat to humanity and that, consequently, needs to be fought. The article organizes the study of a number of representations of the coronavirus in three levels —the iconic, the axiological and the narrative— and discusses how the discursive construction of an enemy involves a series of mechanisms of semiotic nature that, besides somehow representing it, also shape its social construction.   *This article was originally published in 2020, in English, under the title "From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic," in the Italian journal Fuori Luogo, 7(1), pp. 105-115. DOI https://doi.org/10.6092/2723-9608/7041. The translation from English to Spanish —which is unchanged from the original version, except for the addition of new bibliographic entries— was done by the author.Durante la primera mitad del 2020, el ‘nuevo coronavirus’, una entidad biológica invisible al ojo humano, fue representado en múltiples imágenes, productos audiovisuales, descripciones, narrativas y otros modos de articulación visual y verbal. Muchas de estas articulaciones fueron producidas por organismos internacionales, gobiernos y medios de comunicación, entre otros actores sociales, con el objetivo de hacer más tangible la amenaza representada por el virus. Al mismo tiempo, estas representaciones ayudaron a moldear cómo las personas le atribuyeron un sentido al virus, tanto en términos cognitivos como emocionales. Con apoyo en la premisa de que la realidad social se construye en procesos e interacciones múltiples y dinámicos que implican la producción, la distribución y el consumo de sentido en varios niveles, este artículo examina desde una perspectiva semiótica uno de los modos en que el coronavirus fue representado durante la pandemia del COVID-19: el que presentó al coronavirus como un enemigo malvado que es una amenaza para la humanidad y que, por lo tanto, debe ser combatido. El artículo organiza el estudio de un conjunto de representaciones del coronavirus en tres niveles —icónico, axiológico y narrativo— y discute cómo la construcción discursiva de un enemigo involucra siempre una serie de mecanismos de naturaleza semiótica que, además de representarlo, contribuyen a su construcción social.   *Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en el año 2020, en inglés, con el título “From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic”, en la revista italiana Fuori Luogo, 7(1), pp. 105-115. DOI https://doi.org/10.6092/2723-9608/7041. La traducción del inglés al español —que no presenta cambios respecto a la versión original, salvo por la incorporación de nuevas entradas bibliográficas— fue realizada por su autor.Universidad Católica del Uruguay2021-11-172025-12-22T16:37:34Z2025-12-22T16:37:34Zinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionArtículosinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttps://revistas.ucu.edu.uy/index.php/revistadixit/article/view/265010.22235/d35.2650https://hdl.handle.net/10895/6067Dixit; No. 35 (2021): Dixit; 110-127Dixit; Núm. 35 (2021): Dixit; 110-127Dixit; N.º 35 (2021): Dixit; 110-1270797-36911688-349710.22235/d35reponame:LIBERIinstname:Universidad Católica del Uruguayinstacron:Universidad Católica del Uruguayspahttps://revistas.ucu.edu.uy/index.php/revistadixit/article/view/2650/2392Derechos de autor 2021 Dixithttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:liberi.ucu.edu.uy:10895/60672026-06-16T06:53:09Z
spellingShingle From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Moreno Barreneche, Sebastián
coronavirus
COVID-19
semiotics
representation
constructivism
coronavirus
COVID-19
semiótica
representación
constructivismo
status_str publishedVersion
title From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic
title_full From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic
title_fullStr From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic
title_full_unstemmed From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic
title_short From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic
title_sort From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic
topic coronavirus
COVID-19
semiotics
representation
constructivism
coronavirus
COVID-19
semiótica
representación
constructivismo
url https://revistas.ucu.edu.uy/index.php/revistadixit/article/view/2650
https://hdl.handle.net/10895/6067