Social Media And The Management Of Covid-19 Information In Port Harcourt

Social Media And The Management Of Covid-19 Information In Port Harcourt

Chapter One

Preface

Background of the study

The unfolding of the COVID- 19 epidemic has demonstrated how the spread of misinformation, amplified on social media and other digital platforms, is proving to be as much a trouble to global public health as the contagion itself. Technology advancements and social media produce openings to keep people safe, informed and connected. still, the same tools also enable and amplify the current epidemic that continues to undermine the global response and jeopardizes measures to control the epidemic.

Although youthful people are less at threat of severe complaint from COVID- 19, they’re a crucial group in the environment of this epidemic and share in the collaborative responsibility to help us stop transmission. They’re also the most active online, interacting with an average number of 5 digital platforms( similar as, Twitter, TikTok, WeChat and Instagram) daily.

As the epidemic has wormed on and paralyzed global operations, social networking spots have been used as a source of knowledge for people. Its significance has grown as a result of the government’s perpetration of a lockdown policy to help the spread of the Covid- 19 contagion. As a result, social media evolved into an active tool for engagement and communication in order to circulate believable information.

Social Media is an offshoot of the Internet and according to DiMaggio etal.( 2001), the Internet refers to the electronic network or networks that link( s) people and information through computers and other digital bias; thereby allowing for person- to- person communication and information reclamation. The Internet is a major tool that surfaced for the purpose of information dispersion, therefore, the social media acts as an information ascendance in terms of determining what information is made available to people as well as the print people have on issues( Savrum & Leon, 2015).

Largely, Social Media is the collection of websites and web- grounded systems that allow for mass commerce, discussion and sharing among members of a network( Murphy, 2013). Its power lies in live filmland conveyed by videotape recording of events as it unfolds. The transnational live- streaming of events is able of marshaling a huge population of populace for positive or negative end.

The Coronavirus( Covid- 19) is an contagious complaint causes respiratory infections ranging from the common cold wave to more severe respiratory difficulties. It began from the Hunan seafood request at Wuhan, China where live batons, snakes, raccoon tykes , wild creatures among others were vended in December 2019( Shereen etal., 2020,pp. 91 – 98) and was declared a epidemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020( WHO, 2020).

specially, Nigeria as every other government tried to check the rapid-fire spread of Covid- 19 through immediate lockdown of all sectors and after which several safety guideline was quested according to the National Centre for Disease Control in line with World Health Organization preventative measures against Corona Virus( NCDC 2020). The achievement of these feats can be attributed not just to proper healthcare installations but also to the impacts of social media in the country. Its platforms WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have come varying means of communication and engagement by not just the government but by the general crowd especially youthful people. still there’s an critical need to cover and mange information and data released on colorful social media platforms regarding the Covid- 19 in order to insure that people don’t spread unrealistic hypotheticals and fear-prone information about the new complaint either by the government or private druggies. This is because of the impact this information has on the public followership which might lead to anxiety, loss of faith in the government and mischievous to those who has been infected by the contagion. thus it’s on this note, that this exploration intends to examine Social media and the operation of Covid- 19 information.

Statement of the problem

In the face of the fears of the spread of the new nimbus contagion, social media is a critical tool for propagating information to the general public. In the case of Nigeria, it’s a double- whetted brand because it helps people to pierce information without interference. To more understand how youthful grown-ups are engaging with technology during this global communication extremity, an transnational study was conducted, covering roughly 23,500 repliers, progressed 18- 40 times, in 24 countries across five mainlands. This design was a collaboration between the World Health Organization( WHO), Wunderman Thompson, the University of Melbourne and Pollfish. With data collected from late October 2020 to early January 2021, the issues give crucial perceptivity on where Gen Z( those born between 1997 and 2015 who patronize social media for entertainment and fun, who follow information participated by their favorite influencers without verification) and Millennials( people born between 1981 and 1996, Millennials tend to spend a significant quantum of their life in’ virtual’ social media surroundings, to the extent that they calculate on social media for utmost information) seek COVID- 19 information, who they trust as believable sources, their mindfulness and conduct around false news, and what their enterprises are. The information at which the youthful people are exposed to is of applicable in this period of global extremity, as it probably shapes their response( in terms of causes of covid- 19 and compliance to the covid- 19 safety measures and practices) towards the new conditions, which can either reduce or escalate the spread of the contagion. Social media platforms regularly patronized by Nigerians include, Twitter, Instagram, WatsApp, Tik- Tok, Facebook and YouTube. still covid- 19 content, data and information participated on these platforms can play either a negative part or positive part towards bridling or spreading the nimbus contagion, therefore the need for the operation of similar information arise. still it’s against this background that this study is set to probe Social media and the operation of Covid- 19 information.

Ideal Of The Study

This study is set to examine Social media and the operation of Covid- 19 information in Port Harcourt. Specifically it’s geared to

Examine if covid- 19 information is been participated on social media.

Determine the extent to which information on covid- 19 participated on social media platforms is line with that of WHO.

Examine the extent at which Covid- 19 information participated on social media platforms is been managed.

Significance of the study

This study would be applicable to the general public and also contribute to the body of knowledge. More so it’ll be a wake up call for social media content inventors to enhance their effectiveness while developing creative contents in order to check the spread of nimbus contagion. It’ll also heighten the mindfulness of social media druggies on the need to discard fake and invalid information about nimbus contagion and its mode of infection. The study will enable government and policy makers on the need to cover content participated on social media platforms in order to avoid participating fear related communication to the reading public as this is detriment to their disposition and could make them loose confidence on the government sweats towards fighting the new nimbus contagion.

This study will further add to being literature on this content and as well serve as a standard and eye- nature to scholars, scholars and experimenters who may wish to carry out further exploration on this study or affiliated sphere in the future.

Compass The Study

This study focuses on examining if covid- 19 information is been participated on social media; and to determine the extent to which information on covid- 19 participated on social media platforms is line with that of WHO. This study also examines the extent at which Covid- 19 information participated on social media platforms is been managed. Social media druggies in Port Harcourt, Rivers State are enrolled as actors for this study.

Exploration Question

The following questions guide this study

Is covid- 19 information is been participated on social media?

To what extent does the information on covid- 19 participated on social media platforms is line with that of WHO?

To what extent does Covid- 19 information participated on social media platforms is been managed?

Limitation Of Study

Financial constraint – inadequate fund tends to stymie the effectiveness of the experimenter in sourcing for the applicable accoutrements , literature or information and in the process of data collection( internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint – The experimenter will contemporaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This accordingly will cut down on the time devoted for the exploration work.

still in the midst above mentioned limitation the experimenter devotedly assured that the purpose of the study was formed.

Description Of Terms

Social Media this is the collection of websites and web- grounded systems that allow for mass commerce, discussion and sharing among members of anetwork.Its power lies in live filmland conveyed by videotape recording of events as itunfolds.Example of social media include Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Watsapp and others

Covid- 19Corona contagion complaint 2019( COVID- 19) is defined as illness caused by a new nimbus contagion called severe acute respiratory pattern nimbus contagion 2( SARS- CoV- 2.

Information information is a news or knowledge communicated or entered concerning a particular fact or circumstance.

Information Management Information Management means the association of and control over the structure, processing, and delivery of information.