David I. Onyemachi
Directorate of Research and Development, Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, Zaria, Nigeria
Stanley I. R. Okoduwa
Directorate of Research and Development, Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, Zaria, Nigeria
LiveDNA: 234.30244
ABSTRACT
The nature and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its mitigation measures have unleashed enormous power on communication. The report shows that 76% of the populace in developed countries owns a smartphone and out of this, 67% attest to using social media, thus providing for easy spread of both varied and unverified news to the teeming audiences. The open nature of most social media platforms allows for the seamless spread of falsified (fake) news making communication of risk mitigation to the public an enormous task. This paper looks at the impact of online media on the burden and psychological trauma associated with managing the COVID-19 pandemic and the spread of fake news. A holistic and all-encompassing approach targeted at building trust among all stakeholders is recommended in this paper as a crucial tool against false news to minimize the physiological trauma associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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