Silence as a Metaphor in the Polish Radio Reportages during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Silence became one of the important aspects of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article discusses how this social experience was presented in radio reportages, for which silence is not only a topic but also an element of the construction of the message. The reports of the Polish Radio, produced in lockdown conditions, document silence in a double perspective: the transformation of the broadcast sphere of large metropolises and the private sound space of the characters. Silence, as a phonic phenomenon, functions as a universal metaphor for fear, threat, “curse of isolation,” but also hope. Experiencing silence goes beyond the individual feeling thanks to a metaphoric line through which the recorded stories gain a universal context. The analysis of audible materials shows the mechanism of the constitution of these meanings, as well as selected media functions of silence as a tool for modelling content and managing the recipients’ attention.

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Muted and Remixed the World’s Acoustics for a While

“…As Wójciszyn-Wasil relates, there was a change of meaning in the perception of soundscapes. For example, silence went beyond the elimination of noise and became, during the confinements, "a metaphor for danger, fear, loneliness, longing for a return to daily activities" [65]. There were also sounds, previously distant, that acquired a depth and a higher level of awareness in our minds, such as the sound of ambulances, the sound of people coughing, or the sound of applause for professionals in the health care system [66][67][68].…”