Sixth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

In January 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic became a global public health event. In collective memory studies, a nation or a country’s significant event tend to form a collective memory. By constructing the collective memory of historical events, nations (countries) can influence their citizens’ identification process. Therefore, the study of collective memory has crucial social value. By analyzing the collective memory construction process of COVID-19, we can further explore how the concept of nation is constructed and how national identity is achieved in contemporary China. China has a special media environment compared to Western countries since the official media plays important role in media activities. Thus, the memory field in China is constituted by two: one is the official media memory field (including official media organizations, party papers), other is the civil media memory field (such as digital social platforms). By comparing the roles, functions, and relationships of the two fields in the construction of memory, we can understand the media construction mechanism of collective memory in contemporary China. In particular, it can provide an opportunity for us to study the methods and approaches for ordinary Chinese netizens to participate in the construction process of collective memory, which is still an open area in memory studies. This study uses quantitative and qualitative research methods comprehensively including textual analysis, content analysis, word frequency analysis, and discourse analysis.