Scholarly Works Communication & Language Arts
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Item Perception of social media credibility and health information seeking behaviour: a cross-sectional online survey of youths in south west Nigeria(Kampala International University, 2023) Onyechi, N. J.There is a growing need to understand the credibility of social media especially in relation to users’ health information seeking behaviour. The social media provide unprecedented level of information on diverse matters, including health, to the youths since they have difficulties accessing traditional health services. This study, therefore, investigated the relationship between perception of social media credibility and health information seeking behaviour among youths in South West Nigeria. The study was anchored on source credibility theory, while adopting a cross-sectional survey and focus group discussion (FGD) as research designs. Non-probability convenient, purposive and snow ball sampling procedures were used in selecting(n=407) respondents who participated in the survey and (n=48) discussants who took part in the FGD. Results revealed that respondents are very active in their search for health information on social media. Results also showed that there is a significant relationship between perception of social media and health information seeking behaviour among youths in South West Nigeria. It is also recommended that relevant government regulatory agencies should develop clear policy frameworks and guidelines that will ensure that both governmental and nongovernmental health organizations/institutions leverage on the potentials of social media in their provision of medicare. These are expected to enhance robust medical coverage with better health outcomes for all patients, especially the youths.Item From digital advocacy to age reduction legislation, the story of Nigeria’s #nottooyoungtorun(Department of Mass Communication, Imo State, Owerri, 2021) Egbunike, N. A.; Onyechi, N. J.The #NotTooYoungToRun, a global campaign to expand youth inclusivity in politics. The Nigerian campaign, championed by the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), employed both digital and offline advocacy to demand a reduction in the constitutional age limit for contesting elections in the country. With the aim of making politics, especially the right to be voted for, more accessible for young people. This paper employed qualitative content analysis of 904 manually purposively selected tweets from the #NotTooYoungToRun Twitter hashtag. Six dominant themes: victory/inspirational youth movement, activism, youth participation, solidary/endorsement, partisan bickering, and ageism. The context of the representative tweets were provided by exemplar tweets provided under each theme. The finding revealed that Nigerian youths demanded and achieved the signing of the 2018 Age Reduction Act. This victory was based on a systematic social media campaign in which the youths advanced their message. In so doing, they set public agenda by getting influential young Nigerians to either endorse their message or/and highly placed publicly show their solidarity. In addition, Nigerian youths engaged politicians who pushed the legislation through parliament, until it was signed into law by the Nigerian president. The #NotTooYoungToRun campaign is an exemplar of how youth driven movements have harnessed digital media for social and political change.Item Exposure to and adoption of family planning information on social media among female civil servants in Ibadan, Nigeria.(Department of Mass Commuinication, Igbinedion University, Okada, 2020) Onyechi, J. N.; Aremu, A. O.Social media are known to modify health behavior and encourage health improvement. In spite of these, the potential role played by the social media in the acquisition of knowledge and adoption of family planning methods, however, is unclear. This study, therefore, investigated exposure to social media family planning information and adoption of family planning methods among female civil servants in Ibadan, Nigeria. Survey and in-depth interview (IDI) were employed as research designs for the study while uses and gratification theory and health belief model (HBM) provided the theoretical underpinnings. Multistage sampling technique (stratified, simple random and purposive sampling procedures) was adopted in the selection of 232 respondents and 20 interview participants who were within reproductive age (18-45) who participated in the study. Questionnaire and IDI guide were used to generate the data. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (expressed in simple percentages, frequency counts) and chi-square while qualitative data were transcribed and direct quotations that represented the participants’ opinions were used for a Constant comparative analysis. Key findings revealed good knowledge of family planning methods among the respondents but an insignificant relationship between respondents’ exposure to social media information about family planning and their knowledge about family planning methods. Finally, the finding that showed poor adoption of family planning methods among the spondents calls for urgent need for Federal and State Ministries of health, non-governmental organization (NGOs) and other donor agencies to engage in aggressive campaign in order to promote the adoption of effective family planning methods among Nigerian women.Item Taking their destiny in their hands: Social media, youth participation and the 2015 political campaigns in Nigeria(UNISA Press, 2018) Onyechi, N. J.The issue of youth participation in political activities, including campaigns, has dominated scholarly discourse across the globe. The youth’s seeming apathy towards politics has continued to resonate among researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders. However, the emergence of social media has opened up new frontiers for citizens, especially for youths who are known to be social media savvy, to engage in political participation. This study investigated the relationship between social media use and University of Ibadan students’ participation during Nigerian political campaigns in 2015. Anchored on the uses and gratification theory, the study used a survey and focus group discussions (FGD) as the research design. Respondents, systematically selected (N = 588) took part in the survey while discussants, purposively selected (N = 24) participated in the FGD. Results revealed that cognitive, social and tension-free needs were motivations for using social media during the 2015 political campaigns by the respondents. Results also showed that there is a significant relationship between social media exposure patterns and students’ participation during the 2015 political campaigns. These results provide an important window of understanding on the relationship between social media use and political participation amongst Nigerian university students and have implications for the political development of Nigeria.Item Potentials of Social Media for HIV/AIDS Campaign among Nigerian Youths(Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigerisa (AMCRON), 2015) Onyechi, N. J.; Obono, K.Youths constitute a vibrant, critical resource input in the development process of any nation. It is, therefore, imperative that their health and wellbeing be safeguarded in the pursuit and sustenance of the socio-economic transformation of any society. With the unabated high prevalence of HIV and AIDS among this age cohort, communication campaigns must be restrategized, diversified and focused on effecting change in the behaviours that predispose young people to HIV infection. Providing youths with requisite information through social media has the potential of stemming the scourge of the virus. The paper critically examines the use of social media as a potentially veritable tool for campaigns aimed at combating the spread of HIV among Nigerian youths.Item University students’ perception of whatsapp-based religious messages(2021-05) Laninhun, B. A.; Fategbe, F. O.WhatsApp has been widely used to disseminate religious information but there is scant literature on users’ reaction to religious messages on WhatsApp. This study therefore investigated how university students perceive WhatsApp-based religious messages (WBRM). The study was driven by the Uses and Gratifications theory and the Perception theory. It adopted a mixed- method research design to gather relevant data. Through stratification and purposive sampling techniques, 350 students of the University of Ibadan were selected to participate in the survey while 24 students were selected to participate in four different sessions of focus group discussion (FGD). Results showed that most of the students (71%) paid little or no attention to these messages as they did not feel comfortable with long, threatening, instructive religious messages. Nonetheless, findings implied that university students had a favourable disposition towards the use of WhatsApp for religious purpose s. A majority perceived the messages as educative, informative, persuasive and useful. The study also found that students’ perception of WhatsApp-based religious messages and benefits derived from WBRM have a strong positive and significant influence on each other. Producers of WhatsApp-based religious messages, targeting young people, should keep the messages short, ensure that the messages are authentic and avoid fear appealItem The architecture and use of social media in the 2015 Nigerian general elections(African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), Nigerian Chapter, 2016-06) Obono, K.This paper analyses the use of social media for political mobilisation and communication during the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria. Its aim is to describe the structure and context of information dissemination and communication among political actors, agents and the electorate during this period. It argues that the widespread use of social media was due to the evolving technological architecture of the Internet as well as the ready supply of human technical competencies and appetite for use. The technical setting for the observed level of use depended on several factors, which included, primarily, high Nigerian mobile teledensity, a relatively large number of Internet service providers, a demographic youth bulge and real time communication. It was facilitated by improvements in the availability, accessibility, affordability, and adaptability of the Internet and mobile phones. These factors, among others, were the precursors and enhancers of political communication via social media during the elections.Item Potentials of social media for HIV/AIDS campaign among Nigerian youths(Delmas Communications Ltd., 2015-04) Onyechi, N. J.; Obono, K.Youths constitute a vibrant, critical resource input in the development process of any nation. It is, therefore, imperative that their health and wellbeing be safeguarded in the pursuit and sustenance of the socio-economic transformation of any society. With the unabated high prevalence of HIV and AIDS among this age cohort, communication campaigns must be restrategized, diversified and focused on effecting change in the behaviours that predispose young people to HIV infection. Providing youths with requisite information through social media has the potential of stemming the scourge of the virus. The paper critically examines the use of social media as a potentially veritable tool for campaigns aimed at combating the spread of HIV among Nigerian youths.Item Are the ‘born-frees’ always politically apathetic? social media use for campus politics by black undergraduates of North-West University, Mafikeng, South Africa(2018-01) Ojebuyi, B. R.; Salawu, A.The South African post-apartheid Black youth—popularly known as the 'Born Frees'— have been stereotyped politically apathetic. But there are yet empirical studies to prove that these youth are really perpetually averse to political participation, even in their universities, especially with emergence of social media that provide digital space for social and political engagements. With the specific attention on Black students of the Mafikeng campus of North-West University, South Africa as the study population, this study, therefore, employed a sequential qual-QUANT exploratory design to explore how Black undergraduates use social media to engage in political activities in the university setting. Anchored on the Uses and Gratifications Theory, the study employed questionnaire to collect data from 232 respondents selected through stratification and convenience sampling. Majority (77.1%) of the students affirmed they actively participated in campus politics using the social media (78.0%) and text messages via mobile phones (60.7%). Ironically, only 36.2% of the students said they used direct interpersonal communication as the communication modes for political engagement. The trend established in this study challenges scholars‘ assumption that the Post-apartheid Black youth of South Africa are politically apathetic. Students‘ interest and participation in campus politics suggest that, with effective use of the digital space that is relatively free, accessible, interactive, and independent of undue control by the state apparatus, the Black youth can also contribute positively to the South African democratic project.