Abstract: in the era of mediatization, emotions are of key importance. They act as “navigators” in the virtual world, correlating it with the “physically” real world in which the humanity has been developing evolutionarily. In this context, artificially created supernormal stimuli play a special role, aiming at generating super strong emotions. Supernormal stimuli, being a conceptual product and element of hyper-reality reflecting reality in semiotic space, are actively used by media for the purpose of strengthening consumer’s emotional response which allows media to break through information noise. This idea becomes particularly relevant in the era of the first “infodemic” formed around the Covid-19 pandemic. With quarantine measures in place, media becomes the only resource for society to receive information and to communicate, which results in ever increasing information noise, and the media have an even greater need to “reach out” to the subconscious of the consumer – and their emotions. This research aims to study the image of Covid-19 in the media as a supernormal stimulus, and the experience of implementing this supernormal stimulus in online media. In the course of the work a public opinion poll was conducted on what emotions are caused by various images of coronavirus, most often published in the media at the beginning of the pandemic. The results of the survey showed that portrayal of Covid-19 particles did not help journalists reach their goal, as the majority of respondents remained indifferent and did not experience any strongly pronounced emotions.
Keywords: emotions, supernormal stimulus, fear, Covid-19, media, hyper-reality