Everyone's Doing it: A Study of Media Portrayals of Leisure During the Pandemic


Christian De Vrij, Queen’s University

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered individuals' daily routines and lifestyle choices (Korkmaz Aslan, Kılın, and Kartal 2022), ushering in a paradigm shift in leisure activities (Hamedy 2021). This paper explores the discourse surrounding hobbies as portrayed in popular media during the pandemic. Utilizing content analysis, a method widely validated in media studies (Macnamara 2005) I analyze 100 news articles published between 2020-2022 to understand the evolving narrative on hobbies over the pandemic.". My study reveals three predominant themes: First, the resurgence and revaluation of hobbies as a coping mechanism, aligning with findings that stress-related coping strategies have evolved during the pandemic (Fullana et al. 2020; Moore et al. 2020; Lades et al. 2020). Second, the transformation of solitary hobbies into digital communal activities, reflecting broader trends in digital engagement (Matthews 2016). Third, the media's role in the stigmatization or validation of certain hobbies, a phenomenon previously observed in leisure studies (Mock et al. 2013). I argue that the substantial media focus on hobbies not only provided a conduit for individuals to navigate the stressors of the pandemic, but also fundamentally changed the way in which hobbies are engaged in. The findings underscore the inequality of leisure, echoing concerns about resource accessibility raised by recent studies (Cantor et al. 2022). I hypothesise that the media's representation of hobbies significantly influenced public perception and engagement, serving as both a reflective and prescriptive entity in shaping leisure pursuits; and that this role played by media has only been further cemented in the post-pandemic era. The paper suggests that future research should explore the long-term effects of the pandemic on hobby engagement and how this media narrative was understood and experienced by the public. Through this examination, I unearth the interplay between media discourse, leisure activities, and the pandemic, offering a nuanced understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics underpinning leisure activities during times of global distress, contributing to the growing body of literature on pandemic-related social changes (Perez-Cepeda and Arias-Bolzmann 2022; Wassler and Talarico 2021).

This paper will be presented at the following session: