The Importance of the Collaboration Between Communication Studies and Psychology: An Interdisciplinary Analysis in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Communication studies and the discipline of psychology have a major role in the analysis of the social and physical conditions that we experience and in evaluating the effects of these conditions. The interaction of these two disciplines has progressed further with the advancement and widespread use of communication technology and has constituted a multidimensional research tradition. Such an interdisciplinary approach has vital contributions to scientific studies. This study aims to emphasize the importance of the collaboration of communication studies and psychology by revealing the role of this interdisciplinary approach in the possible solution of the problems highlighted by the pandemic. For this purpose, research areas that need the collaboration of these two disciplines and new research questions for future studies have been identified and analysed by scanning the literature on the problems stood out during pandemic. In this study, it has been determined that this interdisciplinary approach can have important scientific contributions while handling a) the solutions of environmental problems faced globally, b) the effects of the pandemic on human psychology, c) the impacts of the pandemic on the breach of online privacy and surveillance practices, and d) the difficulties experienced in the development of positive health behaviours during the pandemic. It is hoped that the formulated research questions can lead the way for future studies and contribute to the post-pandemic period as well as the pandemic period.