PERCEPTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA REPORTAGE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AMONG YOUNG PERSONS IN DELTA STATE

Social media was a major source of health information during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Studies have shown that young people in Nigeria use social media mostly for informational and recreational purposes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine how young people in Delta State view health information on COVID-19 posted on social media and how much exposure they had to it. The study used a 384-respondents' sample size and a survey research design. The posed hypothesis was examined utilizing the statistical method of regression analysis. The study founded on media ecology theory thoroughly explored how technology, media, and communication processes affect human perception, feeling, understanding, and value. The study discovered a strong link between young people's perceptions of COVID-19 and their exposure to social media reports on the COVID-19 pandemic in Delta State. It advises the Federal Government and other interested agencies to increase their investment in social media initiatives to properly deal with the problems of inappropriate disseminate of health information to the public rather than attempting to enact laws that will restrict citizens' use of social media. Keywords: Perception, Social Media, COVID-19, Youths, Health Information.