SOCIAL MEDIA AND HEALTH INFORMATION: A STUDY OF FACEBOOK USE DURING THE 2020 COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN DELTA STATE

Abstract

Facebook, one of the major resources of social media have become an information hub in the present times; with over 1 billion subscribers who own a profile on the platforms. In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020, numerous reports from Facebook algorithm shows that it served as the information hub about the pandemic. Thus, this paper examines the use of Facebook for health information during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic in Delta State. The study was hinged on the Health Belief Model and adopted survey research design. The samples of the study consist of 400 residents of Delta State selected using multistage sampling approach. Questionnaires were the instruments used for data collection and data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study found that a significant proportion of residents of Delta State accessed Facebook for various types of information. The study also found that the majority of Delta State residents frequently accessed Facebook for updates on Covid-19, showcasing their heavy dependence on the platform during the pandemic. It was further found that a large proportion of residents in Delta State actively utilized Facebook to a high extent for Covid-19-related health information. Based on these findings, the study recommended among others that federal government, state governments and other private health organizations should sensitize the public on the dangers of accessing, believing and using health related information on social media platforms that has not undergone any scrutiny or check from a credible medical personnel.