I have chosen to look into the use of international communication throughout lockdown because I felt that it played a vital role in helping people stay in touch with eachother. Whether it was using different platforms to chat to their families, or tuning into virtual, live concerts, it became something that was heavily relied on to help people get through such a difficult time. 

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Firstly, international communication enabled families and friends to be together, alone. This aspect massively helped people avoid loneliness, and they were able to do this by using apps such as HouseParty and Zoom. Whether they got involved in virtual quizzes and games, or purely just used it to check in on their loved ones, daily Zoom users increased up to 200 Million during lockdown. (Evans, 2020) These quizzes and virtual interaction provided people with a form of human connection and escapism. It allowed people to momentarily forget about the scariness of what was happening around them, and enjoy time with their friends and family that they had been missing out on.

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However, with many positives that came with Zoom, came many down sides too. Although, it may have helped some people feel more connected to others, it also sometimes made them feel even more isolated. In unfortunate situations, that in normal life would be extremely difficult, were even worse over Zoom. This is supported by an article in the Guardian, who wrote about her experience of losing her new job during the lockdown; 'I've been made redundant before but losing my job in my bedroom made me feel more isolated than ever.' (Bliszczyk, 2020)

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Furthermore, a common event over lockdown was virtual concerts, hosted by celebrities. Due to the fact that social gatherings and events had been called off, many people took the matter into their own hands to cheer people up. Therefore, many artists held live concerts over Instagram. Many celebrities joined in in an event called Together At Home, which although hosted by many A List celebrities, was an affair that made the situation seem a lot more 'normal' due to the reminder that everyone around the world, were together in the situation. This, as well as the zoom quizzes and virtual catch- ups, was something that helped many people avoid loneliness, due to that constant reminder that they weren't alone in how they felt. This was also put together to say a special thank you to the frontline workers around the world.

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Following on from this, international communication allows the audience to become the producer, and enables the micro- celebrity to be created; 'influencers are the epitome of internet celebrities, given that they make a living from being celebrities native to and on the internet.' (Abidin, 2018) For example, youtubers and influencers communicate to an audience all around the world. Their content is uploaded to platforms that global audiences have access to. This is an example of bottom up globalisation, as social media celebrities use these global platforms to create their audience. Relating this to the case of Covid-19, as mentioned before, A- List celebrities became mere micro celebrities throughout lockdown, as they were using online platforms to interact with their global audience.

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In general, international communication allows people to connect with others around the world. Not only in the pandemic, all of the apps mentioned beforehand, are a critical tool in interacting with friends, family, colleagues, etc, globally. Thussu states that 'with the globalisation of media and communication, media technologies and industries have created a culture in which people all over the world can watch and share experiences of media events' (Thussu, 2009, 1). International communication brings people together, and allows interconnectivity. It is a simple form of sharing and giving information, as well as participating in events all over the world. 

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In conclusion, international communication is an indispensable aspect of global media. It helped many people get through the lockdown by enabling them to stay in contact with family and friends, as well as providing them with entertainment. It constantly allows for media to be shared around the world. It brings people and things together that were previously separate, blurs boundaries between the consumer and producer, creating the prosumer and micro celebrity and also encourages bottom up globalisation.  

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Bibliography

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Global Citizen (2020) 'One World Together at Home.' Available at: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/connect/togetherathome/ (Accessed: 15/10/2020)

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Bliszczyk, A (2020) 'I got a new job in Melbourne's lockdown, then lost it, and all on Zoom' The Guardian. 27th October

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Evans, D (2020) 'How Zoom became so popular during social distancing' Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/how-zoom-rose-to-the-top-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic.html (Accessed: 15/10/2020)

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BBC (2020)The hilarious EastEnders lockdown pub quiz! | The Big Night In - BBC. 23 April. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_ga_C-WEBg (Accessed: 15/10/2020)

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BBC Music (2020) Little Mix - Touch (One World: Together At Home).  19 April. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfqhDtDQPeE&feature=emb_logo (Accessed: 15/10/2020)

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Global Citizen (2020) Lady Gaga performs "Smile" | One World: Together At Home. 18 April. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCNM706Iv8M&feature=emb_logo (Accessed: 15/10/2020)

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Thussu, D. K (ed.) (2009) Internationalizing Media Studies. New York: Routeledge

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Abidin, C (2018) Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing LTD 

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