ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to see how social media affected the uptake of the covid-19 vaccination in Taraba State, Nigeria. The study examined the level of impact social media has on covid-19 vaccine acceptance in Taraba State Nigeria, whether social media has influenced covid-19 vaccine acceptance in Taraba State Nigeria positively or negatively, the various types of social media apps accessed in Taraba State Nigeria, and how often COVID-19 information is passed through social media in Taraba State Nigeria. The survey descriptive research design was used in this study. The survey yielded a total of 77 valid replies. The user and gratification theory, social responsibility theory, and the Agenda Setting theory were all used in the research. The findings revealed that social media had a significant impact on the adoption of the covid-19 vaccine in Taraba State, Nigeria, based on the responses received and analyzed. Furthermore, social media had a favorable impact on the acceptability of the Covid-19 vaccination in Taraba State, Nigeria. According to the study, effective usage of social media in covid 19 information has been established. As a result, governments should use social media to promote Covid 19 immunization.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The social media phenomena has gotten increasingly entertaining around the world in recent years. According to Bazley (2016), social media is a sort of online media that facilitates discourse rather than traditional media, which offers content but does not allow readers, viewers, or listeners to engage in its creation or evolution. Social media includes anything from social sharing sites like YOUTUBE and Flicker to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Several new brand names have emerged in the last six to seven years that were virtually unknown six to seven years ago. Facebook, which was created by a 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old 26-year-old. Twitter, Chatter, LinkedIn, and Yammer are just a few examples. According to Bozzi (2013), in addition to social networking sites like Facebook, the average man has access to blogging sites and could set up his own blog from the comfort of his own home. The simple ability to transmit quickly without having the series of a third party has been immensely liberating to many people. Many people have been ecstatic about the prospect of expressing their opinions, lives, dislikes, and everything else about themselves in the media. Individuals aren’t the only ones taking advantage of social networking sites’ seemingly endless possibilities (Bozzi, 2013). A number of businesses are using social media to promote their products, services, and events.
The Covid 19 vaccination is an example of how social media has been used to communicate information about critical information.
The Covid-19 pandemic, which had a devastating global impact, prompted the development of pandemic mitigation techniques. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the Corona virus sickness (SARS-CoV-2) (COVID-19). The SARS-CoV-2 virus first arose in late 2019 in Wuhan (Hubei, China) and quickly spread around the world, affecting countries all over the world. As of December 22nd, the COVID-19 pandemic had caused around 76.2 million illnesses and over 1.6 million deaths worldwide (Egbuniwe, 2020). To prevent illness transmission, most countries adopt non-pharmaceutical treatments (NPIs), such as enforcing mask laws, hand hygiene, social distance, travel limitations, school closures, and partial or total lockdowns. NPIs have been able to slow the spread of the disease so far, but the most promising strategy for confining the pandemic and lowering death and morbidity rates is still beyond medical technology’s reach. Vaccines and antiviral drugs are two examples of medical technology. They are efficient, safe, and cost-effective (Egbuniwe, 2020). A vaccine is a biological substance that causes active acquired immunity to a specific infectious disease. A vaccine usually consists of a substance that resembles a disease-causing bacterium and is made from weakened or dead forms of the germ, its toxins, or one of its surface proteins. Vaccines are one of the most reliable and cost-effective public health therapies ever created, saving millions of lives every year. Scientists and pharmaceutical corporations were racing against the clock to create vaccinations after the genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 was deciphered in early 2020 and the WHO declared the pandemic in March 2020. At least 85 vaccines were under preclinical development in animals as of October 2020, while 63 were in clinical testing in humans.
In November 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Remdesivir for use as an emergency treatment for COVID-19 patients who are critically unwell and hospitalized. However, on November 22, 2020, the WHO warned against its use, and later that month, Pfizer’s (BNT162b2) BioNTech’s and Moderna’s (mRNA-1273) mRNA vaccines were approved for international usage (Kessler, Favin, & Mendez. 2011).
Although vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions and a cornerstone for the prevention of communicable infectious diseases, public acceptance is required to maintain herd immunity, prevent vaccine illness outbreaks, and ensure that individuals do not hesitate to adopt novel vaccines. While the development of COVID-19 vaccines has been a huge success, vaccinating the majority of the world’s population is a huge challenge. Gaining and maintaining public trust in COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination will be just as important as the vaccines’ effectiveness.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
During the COVID-19 epidemic, people learned about the disease from a variety of sources, including television, radio, newspapers, social media, friends, coworkers, healthcare practitioners, scientists, governments, and so on. Because such sources of information have the potential to influence people’s acceptance or rejection of COVID-19 vaccinations, it is critical to broadcast honest and accurate information about vaccine safety and efficacy to gain the trust of the public, particularly the hesitant and doubtful (Egbuniwe, 2020). As a result, recognizing the sources of information about COVID-19 vaccines that people trust the most is crucial to the success of any future national immunization program.
The NCDC holds daily press conferences to keep the press and the public informed about its actions as part of its attempts to counteract disinformation and encourage people to get the covid-19 vaccination. This was also spread through social media.
However, in an information age where everyone has access to information and misinformation from the media, several facts and myths about the Covid-19 vaccine have been shared on social media as well as in traditional media, causing public confusion, anxiety, and hesitancy about whether or not to take the vaccine. The World Health Organization is more concerned about livestock communities as well as rural areas (Egbuniwe, 2020).
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROBLEM
The major goal of this research is to determine the impact of social media on vaccination uptake in Taraba State, Nigeria. The following are some of the other objectives of this research:
To determine the extent to which social media influences the acceptance of the covid-19 vaccination in Taraba State, Nigeria.
To see if social media has had a good or negative impact on the acceptability of the Covid-19 vaccination in Taraba State, Nigeria.
To investigate the many types of social networking apps used in Taraba State, Nigeria.
To determine how frequently COVID-19 material is disseminated via social media
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This project will address the following research questions.
- What effect does social media have on the acceptability of the Covid-19 vaccination in Nigeria’s Taraba State?
- Has social media had a positive or negative impact on the acceptability of the Covid-19 vaccination in Taraba State, Nigeria?
- In Taraba State, Nigeria, what are the many types of social networking apps used?
- How frequently is COVID-19 information shared on social media?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The goal of this research is to see how social media affects the acceptance of the covid-19 vaccination in Taraba State, Nigeria. This research will benefit society by demonstrating the influence and use of social media. The project would also provide researchers with more information on the impact of social media on the administration of the Covid 19 vaccination in Nigeria. This research will be useful in supporting the government in understanding the extent to which social media has influenced the acceptability of the Covid 19 vaccination, as well as providing pertinent resources for students and other researchers conducting comparable studies.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to see how social media affects the acceptance of the covid-19 vaccination in Taraba State, Nigeria. It will be focused on determining the level of impact social media has on the acceptance of the covid-19 vaccine in Taraba State Nigeria, determining whether social media has influenced the acceptance of the covid-19 vaccine in Taraba State Nigeria positively or negatively, examining the various types of social media apps accessed in Taraba State Nigeria, and determining whether social media has influenced the acceptance of the covid-19 vaccine in Taraba State Nigeria positively or negatively.
determining how frequently COVID-19 material is disseminated via social media.
Residents of the Bali Local Government Area in Taraba State will be engaged as survey participants in this study.
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study will be limited to determining the impact of social media on covid-19 vaccine acceptability in Taraba State, Nigeria. This research will also look into the extent to which social media has influenced the acceptance of the covid-19 vaccine in Taraba State Nigeria, whether social media has influenced vaccine acceptance in Taraba State Nigeria positively or negatively, and the different types of social media apps used in Taraba State Nigeria.
determining how frequently COVID-19 material is disseminated via social media.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
The term “impact” refers to a significant effect or influence.
Acceptance is the act of agreeing to receive or do anything that has been offered to you.
Vaccination: A vaccine is a biological preparation that gives people active acquired immunity against a specific infectious disease. A vaccination usually comprises an agent that looks like a disease-causing germ and is commonly manufactured from weakened or destroyed microbes, their toxins, or one of their surface proteins.
Leave a Comment