Stones, C.M., Stark, J., Rutter, S. orcid.org/0000-0002-3249-5269 et al. (1 more author) (2022) The visual representation of germs: a typology of popular germ depictions. Visual Communication, 21 (1). pp. 97-122. ISSN 1470-3572
Abstract
Germs have been represented visually in popular texts for well over a century, yet little is understood about the dominant practices/concepts resident in such images. This paper presents a new typology of popular germ representations from the UK consisting of three main categories: Scientific, Carrier and Analogous. The first category largely pertains to the realm of the scientist, the second to domestic space and social conventions, and the third, primarily, to the realm of the imagination. The study identifies thirteen sub-categories and discusses each in turn. We argue that a more varied range of germ images exist than the previous binary positioning of germ representations in the United States – harmful and beneficial – would suggest. We account for the continued adoption of an analogous approach in relation to four key cultural forces and problematize the use of monster-like imagery and its alignment of ugliness and obesity with disease.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 The Author(s). This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Visual Communication. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | bacteria; germs; health; hygiene; typology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Information School (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 22 Nov 2019 12:41 |
Last Modified: | 20 May 2022 15:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/1470357219896055 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:153694 |
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