If you want to know more about Covid and the history of pandemics then a new online exhibition from The National Communications Museum in Melbourne is worth a visit.
Connecting through Covid draws comparisons between the Spanish Flu outbreak and now.
For example, how technology has changed over the last 100 years and how information was received and shared in the community – from telegrams and SOS signs in windows to Facebook Live and QR code scanning.
Stories are told through videos, images, archival material and narrative, all curated by the museum team with one about returning soldiers swimming in the Murray to get home only to be caught and put in quarantine.
When it comes to vaccinations, misinformation and the media, nothing has changed. The Spanish flu did not originate in Spain, and its source remains unknown, however the freedom of journalism in Spain and spread of misinformation via a slow-moving communication beast coined the nickname. In contrast, the coronavirus pandemic in 2019 quickly became a global hot topic with daily press briefings open to everyone.
No escaping the masks either as people hated them then as they do now. People also felt isolated because unlike today, there was no Facebook or internet. Teaching children about communication is important too as it goes beyond discord, messenger, snapchat and getting information from YouTube and Tik Tok.
The exhibition, which is free to view, is open until March 31, 2021. Visit: www.ncmuseum.org.au