The Semiotics of Corona Virus Pandemic in the Qatari Press Caricature

Abstract

The research seeks to study the depiction of Corona pandemic in the caricature of the Qatari press semiotically, by focusing on the semantics of shapes and icons, colors and lines, various drawings, and by answering the following questions: How did the Qatari press deal with the topic of the pandemic? What are the semiotic elements that the painters relied on in dealing with this topic? What are the semantics of those semiotic elements that were employed in the Caricature? Through a reading of the caricature from March 10, 2020 to July 15, 2020, the research found out that it dealt with multiple topics on several levels, including local, regional, and global ones, and that it was distinguished by a uniform shape and color icon for the Corona virus. The research did not neglect the use of color semantics, so the colors: red, yellow, black and green had meanings in support of the caricature, and that the semiotics of the lines had a role in clarifying the meanings and directing the recipients to the reading of the caricature many times.

Keywords

• Coronavirus
• Caricature
• Qatari Press
• Semiotics
• COVID-19