A re-imagined community: Pandemic, media, and state

ABSTRACT The advancement of technology, the expansion of global networks, and the shift from print media to digital and social media have brought in a drastic change to human lifestyle. With the shrinking of the world because of the advancement of technology, identities get mutated and transformed according to the need. The development of modern societies denotes how the “self” has become a “reflexive project” where individuals construct identities mediated by symbolic materials. It is through the culture of media that people forge their identities by shaping their political views and social behavior. As such, this article is an attempt to analyze how the pandemic has brought a “new normal” to our lives. With months of lockdown, changing work spaces, education, lifestyle- habits, and priorities, each one of us has shifted to a visually imagined community, which not only marks a paradigmatic shift from the print culture to a new era of visual culture, but also reshapes the socio-cultural imagination dominated by media and visual images. Furthermore, delving in the question of surveillance, this article highlighting the Indian context, also aims to evaluate the functioning of a multicultural liberal state, and its constant struggle with the politics of power and identity.