Introduction

The outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic has brought about a significant transformation of the global order. Originating in Wuhan, China, the Corona virus, referred to also as Covid 19, has spread far and wide to each and every part of the globe, plaguing the lives of billions of people and causing deaths by the dozens. The mystery and terror of the Covid 19 outbreak lies in the fact that there is no established cure for the illness that is brought on upon those who are infected by this virus. There is no vaccine as yet that can protect people from becoming vulnerable to this virus and from succumbing to the sickness that is induced by it. The Covid 19 pandemic has compelled people to remain indoors and to practice social distancing, with social interaction and communication now being kept to an absolute minimum. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that social distancing be engaged in by people, if the threat of being infected by the Covid 19 virus is to be kept at bay. Accordingly, governments of countries situated in the global North and South have introduced rules and regulations that advocate strict social distancing practices and business enterprises have relocated their operations to the home front as well, with most individuals now working from home for their respective companies in order to stay safe from the Corona virus. This whole act of being relegated completely to the home front, of having to remain in a state of perpetual isolation, and to be cut off completely from social interaction and communication with near and dear ones, as well as with peers and associates, has induced feelings of anger, resentment and aggression in several people across the world. Domestic violence is now on the rise, especially in countries that are enforcing regular periods of economic and social lockdown. The adverse impact that Covid 19 has had on the economy of countries, with most businesses laying off their employees as a consequence of reduced sales because of the Covid 19 outbreak has added to the fear and anger that is being felt by people today in the Covid 19 era. Job uncertainty is rampant, and the fear of job loss and the fear of death are quite prominent in people of all ages, classes and backgrounds in various countries of the world.

This assignment prepares a research proposal for a project that investigates the role of the media in promoting intergroup hostility against the backdrop of the Covid 19 outbreak. The research will be undertaken with special reference to how the Covid 19 outbreak and its impact, has been covered by the media. The key aims and objectives of the study, the key research questions of the study as well as the statement of purpose are mentioned at the outset. This is followed by a review of literature on the subject matter of the investigation and a declaration of the conceptual framework, including the research hypothesis that will be tested or validated by the results of the study. Thereafter, the methods that will be used to undertake the investigation and the ethical factors which will be considered in the process of doing so, are outlined.

Proposed Research Methods

Research Philosophy

The outlook that is held by the researcher towards the collection and interpretation of data for a research project is referred to often by the term research philosophy and there are three important types of research philosophies that are often made use of by researchers when pursuing projects that are of academic and scholastic interest or significance. These are the research philosophy of pragmatism, the research philosophy of realism, the interpretivist paradigm and the positivist paradigm. The proposed research will opt for the use of positivism, in order to arrive at an objective interpretation and analysis of the subject of study, via the rigorous and detailed collection of data using primary and secondary methods of research.

Research Design

The strategy which is put to use at the time of collecting the necessary data for a research project and analyzing this data is known as a project’s research design. Some popular examples of the research designs which investigators are seen to make use of quite frequently in order to get a proper understanding of the research problem are the explanatory research design, the empirical research design, exploratory research design, the experimental design and the much used and much acknowledged descriptive research design. This study shall be using the experimental research design, in order to collect as well as analyze data in a structured and rigorous way, based on important figures and facts, that have been obtained readily from the public domain.

Participants

The sample size for this study will comprise of 100 participants in total. The sample population will be divided into two groups, each of 20 participants each, with the aim being to see how both such respondent populations react or respond to media portrayals of incidents and information about the Covid 19 outbreak and with important emotions such as fear and anger being assessed in the process. The sample population or groups for experimentation will be creation using the non-probabilistic and random sampling technique. It is important to note that the observations that are carried out for each of the groups of participants will be observations that are independent of one another.

Procedures

The actual collection of data for this study will be undertaken using primary research methods with quantitative methods being put to use for this purpose. As such, this is study which is going to partake in an assessment of major moods and emotions using a variety of manipulation techniques, with both experimental and control groups as well as the reading out of short texts on the subject of Covid 19 being used to observe and to determine the reaction of two different sets of respondent populations to the subject matter. The experimental manipulation that is conducted for this study will involve the creation of three main conditions namely Covid information, Covid information that includes blame towards Asia or China, and control condition.

Methods of Analysis

With regard to the analysis of data, techniques such as the T-Test shall be made use of in order to determine whether the differences that are generated in terms of the reactions which are exhibited by the two different sample populations are significant in the statistical sense of the term or not.

Instruments for Statistical Analysis

As such, it is the T Test which is going to be made use of in order to determine if there are significant differences between the reactions that are generated by both of the respondent populations. The comparison or the assessment of the differences will be undertaken with reference to analysis of variance using the ANOVA data analysis technique. There are two types of variances that can be usually studied with the help of ANOVA. The first is variability within each of the two different sample populations and then the variability between the two different sample populations. Within group variability or error variance as this is commonly known, is a variation that is not going to be counted for in the overall design of the research, and it will be based largely on the random differences that are found to be existing between the two sample populations that are tested for this study.

Hypothesis Development –

Null Hypothesis – Media coverage on Covid 19 does not trigger fear and anger in people

Alternate Hypothesis – Media coverage on Covid 19 does trigger fear and anger in people

Independent and Dependent Variables

The independent variable is media coverage of Covid 19 and the dependent variables to be tested are fear and anger.