1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
The traditional role of the media in any society is to inform, educate and entertain the indigenes or members of society. As a result the functions of the media are so crucial that societies can hardly progress meaningfully without these channels of communication. The media is an important channel of communication and is a way of generating awareness and disseminating information to the populace on current and pressing issues which they need to go about their daily lives (Hancox, Barry & Poulton, 2015). As a result, the media represents an effective instrument of communication for public officials which includes officials in government.
In many developing countries, including Nigeria media platforms are channels that government officials use to reach the general population. The media is generally defined as channels of communication which are capable of reaching heterogeneous audiences simultaneously with uniform messages (Oyesomi, Oyero & Okorie, 2014).According to Bittner (2015) media are the collective communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data. Furthermore, a medium is a ‘channel of communication’ a means through which people send and receive information. The printed word, for example, is a medium; when an audience reads a newspaper or magazine, something is communicated to them in some way through that medium or media (Onabanjo, 2013). Furthermore, according to Couldry (2019) the media can be broadly defined as communication that is delivered through a specific channel chosen to reach an end user. It contains news, entertainment, education, data, and promotional messages are sent world-wide through this type of communication channels. The media are generally regarded as communication platforms through which messages can be communicated from an individual or a group of people to their target audiences who are at the receiving end of the information or message being passed (Bennet, 2012). As such, they represent tools of communication for various interest groups and political officials.This diversified communication technologies are divided into traditional media and new/digital media. The three forms of traditional media are print(newspapers, books, magazines), broadcast (television, radio), and cinema (movies, documentaries) while internet and mobile mass communication (email, social media sites, websites, and internet-based radio and television) are referred to as the new or digital media (Olaniru, Olatunji, Ayandele & Popoola, 2019).
The media in Nigeria are sources of political information and an avenue for political participation and discussion, right from the colonial era to the present democratic dispensation. Consequently, over the years, communication between governmental agencies and the public has become increasingly popular in Nigeria (Daramola, 2016). It provides a way for the government officials to make connections with the citizens of the country and pass information to them. Studies show that in over 76% of countries in the world, the governments or governmental officials have a media platform through which they use to communicate to the public (Shehata & Strömbäck, 2018). Furthermore, the advent of digital media has also proven to be effective in disseminating information from government officials to their citizens. Furthermore, the public are able to share the information or the content disseminated by the government officials to their friends and colleagues through social media platforms like WhatsApp, Snapchat and Instagram thus effectively creating awareness (Agwi & Ogwueleka, 2018). This makes it easy for the government to pass on information on salient issues among the public and thereby be able to create awareness and sensitize the public in regards to these issues.
As the strength of the media in reaching mass audiences and shaping societal discourse was understood, it started to appeal to the interests of public officials (Dutta & Fraser, 2008). In many parts of the world, the usage of the media is considered as a strong vantage tool for government officials to succeed in their quest for effective governance (Kaplan, 2010). Furthermore, the introduction of digital media platforms like social media have made it easy for government officials to communicate to their citizens because they might find it hard to get through to audiences through mainstream media due to various reasons however social media breaks that barrier by connecting them directly to their desired audiences (Martinez, 2012).
This traits by government officials all over the world has made the media an effective platform for informing, educating and sensitizing the public on various policy proposals and their benefits before they are enacted into law. Many government officials have also found media platforms useful for political campaigns during elections and Nigeria is no different (Aluko, 2015). However, there are still questions as to the pattern of usage of media platforms by government officials in Nigeria and the effectiveness of each media platform helping their course for good governance. Thus, based on this background, this study aims to investigate media usage among government officials in the South West.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Historically, in Nigeria, media platforms such as radio and television were regarded as an unidirectional media platform where the government officials could speak directly to the people without any form of feedback or interaction from the people. As such, the television channel was traditionally considered as a non-interactive medium. However, the digital transformation in Nigeria ushered in a significant change in interpersonal communications which changed the conventional method of the government communication with it citizens and birthed a new means of public interaction with government officials. Thus, modern advances in information and communication innovation and the invention of digital media platforms such as social media has enabled Nigerians participate in the governance process and give their opinion and feedbacks in to government officials in real time (Mustapha, Gbonegun & Mustapha, 2016).
Nevertheless, despite the progress that has been made by the Nigerian government in its communication with citizens, it is not clear exactly which media platforms are most preferred and used by government officials in Nigeria to communicate to the public. Furthermore, there are doubts over the effectiveness of the use of new media by government officials in Nigeria to communicate to the public. There are scholars who say that due to the fact many Nigerians are not social media platforms, it is best to use traditional media platforms such as television, radio and print media (Oyesomi, Oyero & Okorie, 2014; Odunlami, 2014). However, on the other hand there are those who argue that the traditional form of communication through mass media outlets are outdated and thus the digital media platforms are more effective for communications especially due to the instant feedback they can generate (Bode, 2016). This debate has raged on since the advent of digital media platforms and thus there is a genuine problem over which media platforms are effective means of communication for government officials in Nigeria. Therefore this study aims to solve this problem by investigating media usage among government officials in the South West.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The main aim of the study is to investigate media usage among government officials in the South West of Nigeria. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to:
- Examine the patterns of media usage by government officials in the South West.
- Determine the media platforms that are preferred by government officials in the South West.
- Ascertain the media platforms that are most used to receive useful information by government officials in the South West
- To find out if the Ministry of Information in Oyo State use the traditional media of Communication (Radio and Television) to reach the citizens.
- To find out if the Ministry of Information in Oyo State use the social/new media to reach a section of the citizens.
- To find out if there is a good working relationship between the ministry of Information and the state and private media organizations.
- To find out if the Ministry of Information in Oyo state have information policy that guides their day to day activities.
1.4 Research Questions
The following questions will be asked during the course of the research
- What are the patterns of media usage by government officials in the South West?
- What are the media platforms that are preferred by government officials in the South West?
- What media platforms that are most used to receive useful information by government officials in the South West?
- Does the ministry of information in Oyo state make use of traditional media of Communication to reach the citizens?
- Does the ministry of Information in Oyo state make use of social/new media to reach a section of the citizens?
- Does the ministry of information in Oyo State have a good working relationship with state and private media organizations?
- Does the Ministry of Information have Information policy that guides their day to day activities?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The aim of this study is to investigate media usage among government officials in the South West. The study aims to give an insight and understanding on the effectiveness of the mass media and other channels of communication in passing information and educating the public on current issues. Furthermore, the study will be significant in showing how information sent from government officials through media platforms can make a difference in promoting change in society.
The research will be beneficial to the government because it will show how the media can be used effectively for transparent and good governance. It will also lay bare the impact that the use of various media platforms can have on the global image of Nigeria and how it can be used by them to further their courses for the good of the country.
The study will be beneficial to researchers and mass communication scholars as it will provide a platform for further studies into the use of the media for governance especially within the context of Nigeria.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The study will focus on investigating media usage among government officials in the South West. The population of the study will consist of officials of Ministry of Information, Culture & Tourism, Oyo State and Department of Information, Ibadan South West Local Government, Oyo State.The scope will be officials ofMinistry of Information, Culture & Tourism, Oyo State and Department of Information, Ibadan South West Local Government, Oyo State as they are a prominent state in the South West and as such will represent a good population of the study. The scope of this study was limited geographically to the South West. The sample of the study will determine using the Taro Yamane sampling formula. The time frame for the study will be between May, 2021 to August 2021.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.8 Organization of the Study
The research work is divided into five chapters. Chapter one focuses on the general introduction to the study comprising of the following; background of study, statement of research problem, objective of the study, research questions, scope of study, significance of study, organization of the study and definition of terms.
Chapter two focuses on review of relevant literature on media and it’s usage by government officials it consists of the conceptual review, theoretical framework and the review of relevant literature.
Chapter three focuses on research methods which describe the methods of data analysis. The chapter three will consist of the introduction, the research design, the sample size, the data gathering method, the sources of data, the instruments of data collection, description of questionnaire, the validity and reliability of instruments, the administration of instrument, actual field work and the method of data analysis
Chapter four focuses on the data presentation, analysis and interpretation. The chapter four will consist of the introduction, the preliminary analysis, the presentation of general findings, the test of hypotheses and the discussion of findings.
The chapter five focuses on the summary of findings, conclusions and recommendations for future research study.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Broadcasting: This involves the use of media and other social platforms in communication.
Media: The term media, which is the plural of medium,refers to the communication channels through the dissemination news, music, movies, education, promotional messages and other data takes place.
Social media: A social network site can be defined as an online service which permits users to create and modify a profile, either public or semi-private, accumulate a list of connections, as well as view the list of their connections and others utilizing the services.
Effectiveness: is defined here as anything adequate to accomplish a purpose or produce an intended or expected result.
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