Utilisation of WhatsApp for Communicating COVID-19 Messages in Akure, Ondo State

Authors

  • James Olutayo Ajayi Department of Mass Communication, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria
  • Olasunkanmi Fatukasi Department of Mass Communication, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria
  • Ezekiel S. Asemah, Ph.D Department of Mass Communication, Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

Keywords:

COVID-19, Whatsapp

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine the extent to which WhatsApp was used to spread
information during COVID-19 lockdown. Anchored on the uses and gratifications theory, survey
was adopted as methodology. Taking Akure as the area of the study, questionnaire was
administered on 400 respondents purposively drawn for the study. The findings revealed that
WhatsApp was to a very great extent, used to spread COVID-19 messages among Nigerians.
Findings further showed that messages about coronavirus circulated on WhatsApp were effective
in influencing the beliefs and opinion of WhatsApp users about the virus. It was, therefore,
recommended, among others, that responsible use of social media should be given priority by
WhatsApp users in Nigeria.

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Published

2021-01-01

How to Cite

James Olutayo Ajayi, Olasunkanmi Fatukasi, & Ezekiel S. Asemah, Ph.D. (2021). Utilisation of WhatsApp for Communicating COVID-19 Messages in Akure, Ondo State. GVU Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 6(2), 158–166. Retrieved from https://gvucolmass.site/index.php/gvu-jmss/article/view/45

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2021): SAU Journal of Management and Social Sciences

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2021 James Olutayo Ajayi, Olasunkanmi Fatukasi, Ezekiel S. Asemah, Ph.D

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