A Comic Visualising the Experience of Video-conferencing with Aging Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020
Wilkins, Peter and Priego, Ernesto. A Comic Visualising the Experience of Video-conferencing with Aging Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2020; https://doi.org/10.25383/city.12348959.v1
A Comic Visualising the Experience of Video-conferencing with Aging Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemicwas created during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Symbola's exploration of comics as tools for health communication, participatory research and public engagement. Developed between March and May 2020, the one-page comic emerged from the shared experience of maintaining relationships with ageing parents through video calls while lockdown restrictions made face-to-face contact impossible.
Drawing on autoethnographic research and participatory narrative co-design, the comic reflects on the emotional complexities of remote caregiving, family connection and social isolation during a period of global uncertainty. Rather than attempting to represent everyone's experience, it presents a personal account of how digital communication became an essential way of caring for loved ones from a distance.
The project was informed by guidance from the World Health Organization promoting social connection and mental wellbeing throughout the pandemic. Creating the comic also became part of the research process itself, demonstrating how drawing and storytelling can help people process difficult experiences while fostering empathy and reflection.
By combining lived experience, research and visual storytelling, A Comic Visualising the Experience of Video-conferencing with Aging Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic illustrates how even a single-page comic can communicate complex emotional experiences and contribute to conversations about care, ageing, digital communication and wellbeing. It exemplifies Symbola's commitment to transforming qualitative research into accessible visual narratives that support public understanding and meaningful dialogue.