Comments on: Signs of the times: Small media during Covid-19 in Mexico City

By: Keyboard, pen, paper, syringe: Covid-19 vaccination as multiple literacy events - Language on the Move

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 04:29:07 +0000

[…] local radio, hashtags and real-time communication software (Spitulnik 2002) – similar to the neighborhood lock-down notices I observed last year (Kalman, […]

By: Lilly

Lilly — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 21:44:15 +0000

This post is very informative and interesting to read. Thank you, Professor Kalman. These rapid appearances of localised, handmade textual products to cope with the fast-changing pace of information during the pandemic are proof of efforts contributed by every citizen to protect themselves, their family and the community surrounding them. It is indeed these “small media” products that can deeply reach the heart of the people.

By: AlexH

AlexH — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 12:26:44 +0000

Thank you for sharing your experience in Mexico during the first months of this ongoing pandemic, Prof. Kalman. I found these experiences very similar to the Peruvian context. Just like Mexico, a peck on the cheek when greeting is also customary in Peru, my home country, and I can understand the uproar when the government recommended suspending this “saludo” for prevention reasons. These handwritten or printed posters also appeared in my country, especially in “bodegas” to provide information for customers on health protocols when entering these premises. Like you stated in your post, seeing signs on the street with different communicative purposes has become a part of every-day life now.

By: Li Jia

Li Jia — Thu, 21 May 2020 06:46:57 +0000

Thank you, Pro. Kalman, for sharing with us these warm messages. Indeed they reach to our heart deeper and more effective than official reports. I can also read love and shared solidarity from these messages.
Thank you again for bringing real lifewords to us!

Best,
Li Jia

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 20 May 2020 20:15:25 +0000

Thanks Prof Kalman for a fascinating exploration of the local uptake and transformation of national slogans and symbols. The combined inclusion in the third image of the Jornada Nacional and reproduction of Susana Distancia is particularly interesting. This and the sign from the neighbourhood taqueria use different means to index government law/policy to legitimate their messages.

The last image is yet another fascinating example: rather than drawing on rules, it makes the pandemic itself the actor, responsible for keeping people apart, then contrasts this with the internationally recognizable heart symbol as its opposite. What a beautiful way to motivate donations while also encouraging those who need it to take something.

Laura

By: Livia

Livia — Tue, 19 May 2020 06:35:58 +0000

Thank you, Professor Kalman, for taking us on a tour of Coyoacán and the changes in its linguistic landscape due to Covid-19. Your analysis of the ‘signs of the time’ captures how people apply public health information and policy into their everyday practices. I’ve never been to Mexico City, so I was wondering whether the Spanish-only signs around Coyoacán were an exception, or moreso the norm within the wider linguistic landscape of this metropolitan city? All the best, Livia