Media and Information Literacy: A Critical Response to The Challenge of ‘Infodemic’ in The Covid-19 Pandemic Era in Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue VI, June 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Media and Information Literacy: A Critical Response to The Challenge of ‘Infodemic’ in The Covid-19 Pandemic Era in Nigeria

Elizabeth Titilayo Aduloju, Ph.D
Department of Communication Studies, Catholic Institute of West Africa, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa is not left out in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak that continues to ravage the entire universe. The deadly virus as of 26th June 2021 has infected more than 181.3 million people and killed over 3.9 million people globally. In Nigeria alone, it has infected over 167 thousand people and killed 2,119 people between February 27th, the day the first case was recorded and 26th June 2021. Unfortunately, as the virus continues to spread worldwide, there is also a rapid increase in the rate of infodemic – information overload majority of which are fake, disinformation and misinformation – about the virus, its transmission and cure. Thus, this paper interrogates the present reality of the infodemic in Nigeria, especially in the present COVID-19 pandemic and the vision of media and information literacy. The problem concerned the extent to which infodemic could precariously engineer crisis, disgust, fear, hostility and panic which might degenerate to conflict, insecurity, stigmatisation and eventual death. Combining textual analysis with receptor oriented, the article critically examined the social media platform posts and activities in this domain. Major findings apart from revealing that the free and unlimited access to information on social media platforms have been the active driver of the current experience, also showed that the inability of people to discern the veracity and authenticity of information within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic have made many vulnerable. Thus, the present article concluded that media and information literacy is a necessity in fighting the challenge of infodemic in Nigeria and promoting healthy information in media and technological environments. Therefore, among others, the introduction of media and information literacy to both literate and illiterate sectors of society is recommended.

Keywords: Coronavirus/Covid-19, Infodemic, Media and Information Literacy, Misinformation, Social Media Platforms

Introduction
The current digital era is a phase in human experience where a shift process occurs from industrial-based to an information-based economy using the computer or other technology devices as a medium of communication. This era according to Lau (2003) is a time in which there is widespread, ready and easy access to sharing of and use of information in an electronically accessible environment. Of course, the retrieval and transmission of information with and among people depend mainly on the Internet. Thus, the contemporary era is called the information and communication era as many studies are conducted regarding the collection, processing and transferring of information (Bahman, 1991, cited in Haris, 2016). The information has been developed rapidly around the world, that today; the world is not only suffering from coronavirus pandemic alone but also facing the challenge of information overload which has been termed infodemic. Modern devices such as smartphones, mobile computers, PDA, tablets created in this age are vital in creating and transmitting information seamlessly.

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