Media Dependency and Information-Seeking Behaviour of Uyo Residents during the Covid 19 Pandemic in Nigeria (Published)
This study examined media dependency and information-seeking behaviour of Uyo residents during the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The study adopted the survey research method with questionnaire as an instrument for gathering data. The population of the study comprised of Akwa Ibom State residents based on the 2018 National Population Commission (NPC) projected census figure of 2006 taken at 3.4% yearly growth rate which gave the figure as 4,828,267. The researcher adopted the multi-stage sampling technique to select respondents for the study. A sample size of 500 was chosen using Comprey and Lee’s sample guide. Out of 500 copies of the questionnaire distributed to respondents, 480 were returned and found useful for the study. The study found out that during health emergency situation like the covid-19 pandemic which was occasioned by anxiety, tension, fear and uncertainty, residents depended more on the media to obtain information that can help reduce tension and fear. The study recommends that the mass media should be objective, fair, honest and devoid of bias during health emergencies like covid-19 pandemic since a lot of media audience rely on them for health updates.
Keywords: COVID-19, Dependency, Media, information-seeking behaviour, pandemic