Images as a fundamental information resource during the covid-19 pandemic and the vaccination phase in Spanish digital media

Abstract

The aim of the study is to describe the images that accompanied information about the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccination and treatment of the virus in the following digital news media: ABC, Deia, EITB.eus, El Correo, elDiario.es, El Mundo, La Razón, La Vanguardia, Naiz and Público (2020-2022). A sample of 15,654 single images was studied, of which 15 clusters were identified with Artificial Intelligence techniques, including the algorithm Inception V3. The analysis is based on the combined use of a series of innovative techniques within the field of Communication. This methodology involves a large data set of images, along with the use of AI techniques such as embeddings. We opted for an unsupervised strategy, typical of exploratory and inductive research. Among the results, the identification of different typologies of images used by the medical and health-oriented media, representations of death and of the human drama caused by the pandemic, linked to the more political and economic dimension of the vaccination campaign, stands out. The images analyzed are part of 'political communication': a communication model that seeks and reinforces the relationship between the government and the media, and vice versa, to generate confidence in the management and in the system itself. The diversity of approaches observed is a positive value as it contributes to establish a more multifaceted and richer operational social reality. The media show different preferences when it comes to visually representing the issues, which translates into an unequal distribution of the same. The study has identified the different narratives revealing different uses of emotionally charged images that pose a complex scenario.