Media strategy and the impact of COVID-19 public awareness in Ekiti State: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The prevalence of the Covid-19 pandemic, which allegedly stemmed from Wuhan, China, had imposed far-reaching consequences on human existence across the globe. After Nigeria recorded its first case in February 2020, the death toll rose with increased number of confirmed cases. Notably, as experts strove to understand, track, and contain the pandemic, the media kept pushing the frontiers of public awareness faster than the spread. However, the proliferation of disinformation had continued to contend with global responses to the pandemic. It stimulated undesired public behaviours, such as non adherence and public protest, as witnessed in most parts of Nigeria. This research is an empirical study that examines the media strategy responsible for the different behaviours observed in Ekiti state, where the public acceptance of Covid-19 guidelines seemed to have resulted in the considerable containment of the sickness’ spread in the state. The study employs both the qualitative and quantitative research methods, and hinged on Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann’s model (1973) of Powerful effect theory and the “Source credibility theory” of Carl Hovland and Walter Weiss (1951). The researchers observed that in spite of the independent mindedness that characterizes Ekiti people, which challenges most public mobilization endeavours, the populace demonstrated high degree of adherence and compliance to Covid-19 awareness mobilization. In the interest of communal well-being, they volunteered information on violator to the authorities. We discovered that individuals with reckonable public credibility were used as sources of information for the awareness message of Covid-19. Apart from source credibility strategy, geo-coding, which exploited the ethical cultural tenets of the Ekiti world-view was another effective media strategy employed. The researchers hereby recommend the findings of this study as viable and effective media strategies for public enlightenment in the event of future public health crisis in Nigeria.