Social media and the spread of COVID-19 conspiracy theories in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Amidst the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there seems to be an avalanche of conspiracy theories that abound on social media platforms, and this subject attracted a lot of research interest. This study aimed to examine the "social media and the spread Covid-19 conspiracy theories in Nigeria" in light of the above. 
 Methods: The study adopted a qualitative design in order to explore the subject matter thoroughly. Thirty-five participants were conveniently sampled, and interviews were conducted to retrieved data from the participants.
 Results: Findings of this study revealed that there is a prevalence of conspiracy theories that have saturated social media ever since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was also found that ignorance, religious fanaticism, lack of censorship, and insufficient counter information on social media platforms are some of the possible factors that aided the spread of Covid-19 conspiracy theories among Nigerian social media users.
 Conclusion: This study recommends, among other things, that there is a swift need to curtail the spread of conspiracy theories through consistent dissemination of counter-information by both individuals and agencies like the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Nigerian Centre for Disease and Control (NCDC).

COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake and Associated Factors in Selected Communities in Two Southwestern States in Nigeria

“…Additionally, the low uptake could be due to the existing and widely circulated conspiracy theories regarding COVID-19 causation in Nigeria. Many Nigerians are still doubtful of the existence of the disease, as they believe that the virus is caused by 5G technology and cannot survive in the hot Nigerian weather [25]. Many believe that COVID-19 is being promoted by political leaders to give them the platform to further loot the national treasury [26].…”