Health Communication Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

Introduction

Illness, health, wellness, a balanced and healthy life, lifelong health, a balanced diet for a healthy life… It is possible to add more words and phrases like these. The phenomenon of healthy life that has been gradually increasing in recent years urges people to reconsider themselves, their lives, and their health status. Health and the importance attached to health have been increasing with the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected the whole world and occurred unexpectedly. All of a sudden, being caught unprepared by the pandemic, people once more started to urgently ponder upon keeping a balanced diet, orderly living conditions, their immunity, and the phenomenon of a healthy body. Accordingly, they have been trying to control their lives and pull the strings by tracking the agenda and the news through both television and newspaper, but mostly through social media.

It is obvious that the Covid-19 pandemic has left the world in a health crisis. In addition, the fact that this sweeping health crisis is transforming into a global, economic, financial, and social crisis without a moment to spare is never off the agenda. Now, the pandemic is not only a health crisis, but a factor threatening the economy, finance, and social life. Covid-19 pandemic impacts each layer of the society and this impact results in heavier outcomes considering some groups (Kara, 2020, p.26). This pandemic, which has turned both our country and the world upside down, causes a huge uncertainty in all countries; ministries of health bear a tremendous responsibility. It was expressed that the only thing that can be said about the influenza viruses is that the mutation in their patterns, when to increase and when to decrease, is completely unpredictable and no one is able to say something about how the current situation will progress (WHO, 2020). Under these circumstances, the state of uncertainty has driven people into a huge concern, crisis, and fear. People are able to control their mental health only by following the health-related news, untying the knot, and receiving information about what to do, where to do, and how to do. Taking the control into their own hands, people become more dependent on health communication.

The fact that more people, knowledge, situation, and phenomenon related to the Covid-19 pandemic are more visible and accessible compared to past pandemics thanks to the new technologies occurs as the most distinct feature of the Covid-19 global pandemic. In this regard, it is possible to mention a perceptible and different public space experience without limits in Turkey during this period in which the struggle against the pandemic continues. Mass media, especially social media creates platforms that facilitate the national and global discussion of public issues and allow all citizens to participate actively in public interactions. People gathering collectively try to overcome the imbalances of power and the negative impacts of the pandemic in this way. Individuals who can discuss their opinions on a common and vital problem have created opportunities allowing public debates and exchanges of ideas through discursive and actional interaction platforms. New phenomena of public spaces have been encountered during the pandemic and these spaces are often dynamic. Today, it seems possible to mention a public space experience in Turkey during this global pandemic period despite all the aspects that are not going well in practice (Hekimoglu, 2020, p.902).

These public space experiences that have gained more importance during the Covid-19 pandemic period has reminded the importance of the concept and operation of health communication and created an opportunity for a new consensus environment to emerge. It is deemed beneficial to discuss the health communication topics such as the concept of health communication, history of health communication, methods used in health communication, health promotion strategies, and health literacy especially on the modern media of the new age. Describe the general perspective of the chapter. End by specifically stating the objectives of the chapter.