Emotive Media as a Counterbalance to AIDS Messaging Fatigue in South Africa: Responses to an HIV/AIDS Awareness Music Video

Abstract

South Africa recorded and estimated 230,000 new infections in 2020, and low levels of AIDS risk awareness remain prevalent among the nation's youth. While public health awareness initiatives continue to be necessary, the large quantity of AIDS-related content that has permeated the media landscape since the start of the epidemic has resulted in increasing indifference to health messaging. Drawing from the concept of referent emotional responses, this article analyzes the reception of “Sing,” an HIV/AIDS awareness music video characterized by emotive visual representations of AIDS. The data highlight ongoing fatigue towards HIV/AIDS messaging and the potential of highly emotive media to engage target audiences in a climate of indifference to AIDS awareness. The article recommends that future awareness and prevention campaigns consider the role of emotive content in effective AIDS-related health promotion in South Africa.