Social Media and Management of COVID-19 Information in Nigeria
Chapter One
Objective of the Study
- To explore the roles of social media in raising awareness of COVID-19 in society.
- To assess the roles and contributions of social media to build the social collectiveness in the COVID-19 pandemic
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Conceptual Review
In this section, I have briefly reviewed social media, pandemic in general, and COVID-19 pandemic in particular for conceptual clarity.
Social Media
Cambridge English dictionary defines, ‘social media as forms of media that allow people to communicate and share information using the internet or mobile phones’. Social media are the collection of websites and applications to create develop and online communities for networking and sharing of information (Gowey, 2014).
Social media are technologies that create highly interactive platforms to enable people to communicate, share, collaborate and modify user-generated content; thereby providing a platform for real-time virtual interactions (Kalpan and Haenlein, 2010, as cited in Power, 2014). People can interact, communicate and send important messages and contents more widely than ever before using Web 2.0. Social media are Internet- based applications that build on this technology, which enable users to interact and exchange content and information (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010).
Forms of Social Media: There are six forms of social media. To mention them (a) Collaborative projects, (b) blogs and microblogs, (c) content communities, (d) social networking sites, (e) virtual game worlds, and (f) virtual communities (Kalpan & Haenlein,2010 as cited in Dao, 2015). Social Networking sites, Blogs, Microblogs, and media sharing are the most popular form of social media
Blogs: Blogs are like web pages where people can share ideas, information, and insights. The attractive feature of the blog is that it is bidirectional and you get feedback from the readers in a comment (Harvey, 2014). These days, many traditional media have adopted blog-like features in order to engage the reader on their news.
Twitter is an example of microblogs but some scholars also put it in the social networking-sites-category (ibid).
Content Sharing: The most general type of content communities is YouTube for videos and Flicker for photos. The main function of content communities is sharing media content e.g. videos, pictures, audio clips between users. Internet users can create an account for each of the content communities; upload media content to the sites and share the media (Balakrishnan & Griffiths, 2017)
Social Networking Sites: Social Networking sites like Facebook is present everywhere in modern culture. A major differentiating feature for other social media is it enables users to connect with their friends, families, and other ties (Harvey, 2014). Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn, and MySpace are considered the most common social networking sites. They are called Social Networking Sites because they are sites for social interaction. These sites allow people to create personal profiles, invite others to join, access the profiles of other users, share information and contents in text, pictures, videos, and send instant messages to each other (Dao, 2015).
Popular Social Media: Facebook is the most popular Social network worldwide based on its number of users followed by YouTube, WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat, Instagram, and TikTok (Climent, 2020). With affordable and easy internet access; people are buying smartphones and the new age of digital media has gained momentum (Prasain, 2018). Nearly 63 percent of Nigeria‟s population is connected to the internet (ibid). Stat Counter, a worldwide web traffic analysis website ranks Facebook (97.14% users) as the most popular websites in Nigeria as of August 2020 followed by Youtube (1.39%), Pinterest (0.58%), Twitter (0.57%), LinkedIn (0.14%) and Instagram (0.12%) (www.gsstatCounter.com,2020).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
In this study, I employed the exploratory research and descriptive research design. In the exploratory research design, data are collected through informal interviews to seek qualitative information. The exploratory research design was useful to identify the nature of using social media platforms and their relationship with COVID-19, its use, influences consequences in the risk management of the disease and dynamics of using them for the collective action in the society. The interpretative approach is used to deal with information. A word, sentences, phrases, narratives are analyzed and interpreted. The descriptive design has been partly used to describe the field, nature of studied populations.
Sources of Data
In this research, both qualitative and quantitative data have been collected.
Qualitative data are used more and quantitative are used partly. Data are collected from primary and secondary sources.
Primary Data
Primary data are collected by the researcher herself through field visits from the respondents who have been using social media. Primary data were collected through an interview, sampling, and case studies.
Secondary Data
The secondary data were obtained from books, journals, newspapers, documents, reports, dissertations, websites, webpages, and different social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Population and Sampling
The universe of this study includes the people who are the users of social media like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Viber, and Instagram. In this study, 40 social media users were selected via applying non-probability purposive sampling. The researcher only goes to those people who in their opinion are likely to have the required information and likely to share with them (Kumar, 2005).
The selected samples are based on my judgment as to who can provide the information to achieve the objectives of the study. I have chosen people who are likely to use social media more and willing to share their in-depth information.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT PRESENTATION
Distribution of the Respondents by Education
The study is mainly focused on educated individuals whose education levels are secondary, Intermediate, Bachelor, and Master Level. The summary of respondent’s education is provided below.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Summary
Study titled ‘Implications of Social Media in Pandemic: A Case Study of COVID-19 ‘ is conducted to assess the role of social media in COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The thesis is composed of seven chapters, each of them dealing with different aspect of the study.
Chapter first explore the research gap through reviewing of the pertinent literatures concern with pandemic, social media and its role. This section also included the both rational and limitation of study that make this study more rigorous and authentic. The research objective of the study is
-To explore the role of social media in raising awareness about COVID-19 and roles and contributions of social media in social collectiveness to overcome the resultant crisis.
In second chapter, I have reviewed literatures regarding pandemic and social media their roles and relationship. I reviewed literature regarding the role of social media during Zika, Ebola, and H1N1 with special focus on COVID-19. I also revised roles of social media during difficult situation in the society. I reviewed government policies regarding social media and infectious disease and pandemic. In the last section of this chapter I provided the conceptual framework of my research.
Chapter third discusses on research methods applied for attaining the objectives of the study. This research is basically explorative research design and uses descriptive research design partly. It incorporates the study tools and technique of interview, observation and case studies.
I had chosen 40 social media users applying purposive sampling. This study explains the lived experiences of Ikono LGA of Changunarayn Municipality of Bhaktapur District.Data are collected from both primary and secondary sources. Most of the data are qualitative while some data are quantitative in nature. Both qualitative and quantitative data are manually analysed. Qualitative data are analysed and interpreted identifying main words, phrases, narratives and sentence while quantitative data are analysed and interpreted through tables, percentage and comparison. The logic of reasoning is inductive method i.e. the results from empirical data are linked to theories.
In chapter four, I have discussed about the study area; its geographical area and socio- economic features. This chapter also provides the information on distribution of studied population in terms of their gender, age, marital status, educational qualifications and occupations.
Chapter five addresses the general understanding regarding the nature of using social media platform with focus on the role of social media in raising awareness about COVID-19 pandemic in the society.
The increased time consumption and the active engagement and involvement of people in the social media after the advent of COVID-19 pandemic showed that people used social media platform to get the useful information about the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 resultant lockdown, prohibitory order and social distancing increased people’s participation in social media in their daily lives.
The study showed that people are getting more information form social media platform rather than traditional media because of easy accessibility, less expensive, quick circulation of messages, bi-directional communication between source of information and consumer and multiple way of getting information i.e. audio, video, text, picture etc.
Social media spread both useful information and misinformation among people during COVID-19 pandemic. The information disseminated by social media are about statistics of disease, safety protocols, precautionary and preventive measures, diagnosis, treatment, effect, signs and symptoms, consequences, dietary recommendations, vaccine, and medicines. It also disseminated the information regarding government and non-state agency’s policies, regulations, guidelines as well global and local scenario of the pandemic. The source of vital information in social media were the official pages, Twitter handles and Instargam of MOHP, WHO, UNICEF, newspapers, doctors, health experts, scientists, other individuals and Viber group of MOHP. People get this information in social media in texts, audios, videos, pictures, live chat and Facebook live streaming. The misinformation is about the existence and advent of the disease, its data, footage, future speculation, vaccine, medicine, dietary recommendation, treatment, signs, symptoms and consequences.
Misinformation in social media created confusion, panic and fear mongering environment in the society. It induced people to take wrong course of action. The sources of misinformation in social media were individuals, groups and unauthentic news channels and pages.
Chapter six address the contributions of social media in social collectiveness among people during COVID-19 pandemic.
During COVID-19 pandemic social media are used in helping each other, in philanthropic work, charities, in food distribution campaign and fund raising activities. Social media played significant role in organizing people for the common cause and running social media campaign and social movement for common good. People expressed their feelings, sentiments and emotions via social media platform. Social media brought people together during difficult circumstances of pandemic.
Chapter seven provides the overall summary of the research with respective chapters. On the basis of findings conclusion are drawn and its implications are given. Suggestions for future research are provided at the end.
Conclusion
Raising awareness about the disease among mass citizens from the early phase of the pandemic is the major step to minimize the possible risk. Spreading of timely and correct information regarding the disease minimize future damage and save the lives of people. Social media platform plays a significant role to raise awareness about the pandemic in society via disseminating the information. Social media plays important role in pandemic preparedness, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease.
Social media also helps in breaking the chain of infection and rehabilitation of the victims. Social media platform facilitates telemedicine and telehealth. Constant reminders about the related messages like safety protocols, preventive measures, diagnosis, treatment etc. are key action to mitigate the risk in the pandemic. Social media play a vital role in the reinforcement of the related messages among people via repetitive messages in different forms i.e. texts, audios, videos, and pictures from different sources. Social media facilitates the active participation of public in communicating the risk messages in the society which is helpful in raising awareness among mass people.
It supports the effort made by state and non-state agencies to minimize the risks. It also makes the communication of vital information more effective and convincing among people. Social media disseminates both information and misinformation regarding Covid-19. The correct information helps to save the lives of people; at the same time misinformation mislead people that put their lives at risk. Active initiation and participation of government and concerned authorities in timely and correct information through social media platforms can help in combating the misinformation. Clear scrutiny, evaluation, and monitoring process of social media platform and collaboration of government and concerned authorities with social media platform are beneficial to combat the social media misinformation.
Social media brings people together beyond social ties. Virtual network bridges the physical and geographical boundaries. Collective action, emotional support of each other through virtual connection, aggregated voice, and action for common issue helps in battling the pandemic resultant crisis. Social media fosters social collectiveness and social solidarity among people. The social cohesion fostered by social media platforms is a form of non-medical assistance to battle the pandemic in society.
Recommendation
Social media are not only electronic and computer-based programs. They are a new strategy in consuming the information. In social media platforms, people are not only passive consumers of information. They are active advocates and producers of information. In a democratic society, we live in today where the freedom of expression is ensured social media platforms are the way many people prefer getting their information.
Hence, government and stakeholders should include social media as a significant aspect of their strategies for the dissemination of vital information in the management of the pandemic. In the hard-hit time of pandemic of modern days; social media is not only beneficial in disseminating health-related information, but also creates the forum for dialogue and discussion among stakeholders and the public. The government can communicate people about their plans, policies, strategies, predictions, speculations, suggestions, guidelines, and future consequences of the pandemic through social media.
Citizens can take participation in raising awareness among people by disseminating the correct and vital information. It enhances and fosters the efforts made my government and concerned authorities to minimize the risk. They can make use of social media platforms to inform about their situation and problems. They can give suggestive measures to concerned entities through social media and pressurize them to do their duties, run virtual campaigns, raise funds, and conduct philanthropic works.
Health professionals can share their knowledge and expertise via social media to clear the doubts of people and disseminate authentic information. Social media reflects the emotions, sentiments, thinking and reactions of people regarding the pandemic. This is helpful for the government and concerned entities to react and respond to crises differently and take the right course of action to solve the embedded problems.
Government and concerned entities can practice telemedicine and telehealth through social media platform which reduces the load of patients in hospitals and reduces the chances of transmission of the disease. Practicing telemedicine through social media reduces the financial burden of citizens.
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