Covid-19, Risk and the Global Society of Mask

Abstract

Proximity has become our Achilles heel. We live in a global, tightly networked world whose keyword is "safety gap"! Individuals, families, communities, cities, states, and countries will keep their distance from each other. The use of masks has become a kind of metaphor to depict a wide range of hazards and our human insecurity in the middle of this global chaos. Not in vain: a loss of 3 million human lives and 30 trillion USD financial loss only in 2020 is merely part of the Covid-19 pandemic cost calculation. We face the most fundamental questions of sociology: Trust, which is the cornerstone of our social life, is threatened. The epidemic has roots in human lifestyles and choices as well as in decision-making. Thus, the concepts of risk and risk society have become more relevant. This paper discusses this reality against the risk society literature background and utilizes facts related to the pandemic in a global sphere. The purpose is to perceive how a global risk society is formed around the pandemic and how normative choices, reasonable measures, and expert solutions will lead to an additional sense of insecurity. The content analysis method is applied to this research. The theoretical discussion of the study is supported by material consisting of online press material, expert comments, interviews, video, etc. Research shows that with the pandemic, the function of modern institutions in societies has become both emphasized and criticized. Also, confidence in the expert system has been on a collision course. In parallel, these processes have increased uncertainty, which contributes to improving social reflexivity in the face of global challenges.