Introduction: Language and Communication Related to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic, which unfolded in spring 2020 and still rages on in 2021, attacked the world and their people in manifold ways. Starting as a public health crisis it became an overarching issue of science and health communication, but it also proved to have impact on individuals’ forms and types of interactions vice versa. Even now in the third quarter of 2021, the way people get into contact, interact as group members, and communicate in a face-to-face or digitized setting is still affected by the pandemic. Psychology as a hub discipline, to which many other disciplines are strongly connected (Boyack et al., 2005), is surely in charge of addressing the psychological dimension of this (Kazak, 2020). Many research questions from (social) psychology can be applied to this pandemic situation focusing on individuals’ cognition and emotion, impact of mass communication and/or interactional effects between individuals and groups: How does an ongoing health threat, or mandatory quarantine impact on individuals’ cognition and well-being, and how do they cope (e.g., Georgiou et al., 2020; Vowels et al., 2021; Zaccoletti et al., 2020)? How do people engage in the understanding of complex and conflicting (mis-)information (e.g., Balog-Way & McComas, 2020; Dohle et al., 2020; Heyd-Metzuyanim et al., 2021; Roozenbeek et al., 2020; Vraga et al., 2020)? How are intergroup processes, interaction habits, and behavior affected (e.g., Gordils et al., 2021; Katila et al., 2020)?

Though questions like these are urgently needed and found consideration in books (Jetten et al., 2020), scientific journals, and respective special issues on COVID-19 and its impacts on individual and social challenges and communication (e.g., Cantarero, et al., 2020; Meier et al., 2021; Nan & Thompson, 2021; Nguyen & Catalan-Matamoros, 2020; Priest & Myrick, 2020; Quandt, 2021), our special issue on language and communication in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology ( JLSP ) addresses these questions in light of the unique focus of the journal. Serving as guest editors for this special issue we are luckily able to refer to this year's first volume of JLSP addressing 40 years of publishing research in this outlet (Giles et al., 2021). Directly following the most present themes between the years 2012 and 2020, this special issue explores the intersections between language and social (Lux et al., 2021; Malik et al., 2021), language and words (Janssen et al., 2021; Shulman et al., 2021; Tian et al., 2021; Tu et al., 2021), and language and discrimination (Vacchini et al., 2021).

Special Issue Contributions

The first article takes a situational perspective on language regarding Covid-19. Shulman et al. (2021) question whether well-grounded theory (like the Elaboration Likelihood Model) and well-hung results on the relationship between jargon, fluency and message perceptions replicate in the immediate and highly personal relevance of the topic Covid-19. When comparing the evaluation of Covid-19 related messages with two “less urgent topics” over time, Shulman et al. conclude that the topic and its perceived urgency impact how jargon (as a peripheral cue) affects the processing fluency.

The second article presents data on language features and message evaluation. Janssen et al. (2021) vary lexical hedges and the source of information in informational texts on mandatory mask-wearing. Here, while hedging did not affect evaluations, scientists as source of information were assessed to possess more expertise and integrity (but not benevolence) compared to politicians. The authors conclude that the context of Covid-19 impacts the evaluation of messages differently compared to other contexts.

The third article by Lux et al. (2021) also researches how informational texts on mask wearing are evaluated. Results identify conspiracy mentality as an important moderator for message evaluation: Complex messages led those individuals with high conspiracy mentality to feel more socially excluded, and in turn, to more negatively evaluate the message, and to report less trust in science, compared to less complex messages.

The fourth article provides a systematic perspective on the occurrence of Covid-19 topic in news titles in 2020. Malik et al. (2021) compare the numbers from 28 countries across the year 2020 and identify language features in news titles. Their data provide insights into the interplay between language use and prevalence of the disease, with a focus on moralizing language in news media reports about the pandemic.

The fifth article touches a core issue of language and social psychology: being a member of a group. Varying personal pronouns Tu et al. (2021) manipulated an individual or group perspective in messages about Covid-19 related behavioral instructions. Their findings indicate that, at least for low self-controlled individuals, using “you” messages instead of “we” messages supports adherence to stay-at-home recommendations.

The sixth article by Tian et al. (2021) also focuses on message design and type of pronouns (“you” versus “we”) in Covid-19-related communication, but focused on communal and individual emotional coping as outcome measures. Again, “you” messages proved more effective for emotional improvement when individuals’ orientation towards coping with the pandemic as a collective effort was high, and that including hope for a future “after Covid” in messages improved this communal coping orientation.

The seventh article asks for evaluation of social exclusion behavior either related to Covid-19 fears or not. Having a British and Italian sample Vacchini et al. (2021) show that contagion concerns offer an acceptable explanation for social exclusion behavior.

The final contribution by Bangerter (2021) discusses the seven contributions in relation to Covid-19 referring to sensemaking narratives of infectious disease.

Conclusion

Having a Special Issue on Language and Communication related to Covid-19 hopefully impacts on the understanding of fundamental processes addressed in the JLSP . First, focusing on context in language and social psychology research is a fruitful consideration (Harwood & Tracy, 2021).

This Special Issue contributes to one highly demanding context of at least the years 2020 and 2021: handling the Covid-19 pandemic. It also addresses online reading and interaction behavior, an instance of importance not only in pandemic times. Furthermore, it exemplifies issues of language use and trust evaluation which might be generalized to other socio-scientific issues: The fact that knowledge and information is both, continuously in a process of restructuring and re-evaluation and highly needed to answer questions of everyday and everyone's life. Applying the three metaphors for language put on JLSP 's history (Harwood & Tracy, 2021), this Special Issue includes all three views: It offers insights into our perspective on Covid-19 mirroring individuals’ reflections via language use. It identifies language in use (“as a tool”) and last not least evaluates how attributions about others occur. To sum up, this issue addresses language AND social psychology by providing insights into language features effecting or occurring in social relationships.