Perceptions and engagement of Klang Valley urbanites on COVID-19 PSAs during the pandemic

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, rampant misinformation about the virus has created large-scale panic and uneasiness among the Malaysian public. In response to this threat, the Malaysian government launched public service announcements (PSAs) on COVID-19 in various media to increase public awareness and knowledge, specifically on recommended solutions. The messages in the PSAs were tailored to underscore the various phases of the pandemic to persuade public belief as well as nurture positive attitude and behavioural changes. The objectives of this study are: (1) to investigate the public's information-seeking behaviours, (2) to investigate user perceptions and indicators of PSAs, and (3) to determine the effectiveness of PSAs as a communication platform to convey important information about the pandemic throughout the different Movement Control Order (MCO) phases. Through focus group discussions with eight urban Klang Valley informants, findings highlight the crucial elements in identifying motivation and factors of media preferences which affect how various media platforms benefit the Malaysian public. The findings also illustrate the need for the government to ensure that the content and context of the PSAs meet the audiences' demographics in ensuring effective dissemination of information and awareness during a pandemic. © SEARCH Journal 2022.

Perceptions and engagement of Klang Valley urbanites on COVID-19 PSAs during the pandemic

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, rampant misinformation about the virus has created largescale panic and uneasiness among the Malaysian public. In response to this threat, the Malaysian government launched public service announcements (PSAs) on COVID-19 in various media to increase public awareness and knowledge, specifically on recommended solutions. The messages in the PSAs were tailored to underscore the various phases of the pandemic to persuade public belief as well as nurture positive attitude and behavioural changes. The objectives of this study are: (1) to investigate the public's information-seeking behaviours, (2) to investigate user perceptions and indicators of PSAs, and (3) to determine the effectiveness of PSAs as a communication platform to convey important information about the pandemic throughout the different Movement Control Order (MCO) phases. Through focus group discussions with eight urban Klang Valley informants, findings highlight the crucial elements in identifying motivation and factors of media preferences which affect how various media platforms benefit the Malaysian public. The findings also illustrate the need for the government to ensure that the content and context of the PSAs meet the audiences' demographics in ensuring effective dissemination of information and awareness during a pandemic.

The Degree of Dependence of Jordanian University Youth on Social Media During the Covid (19) Corona Pandemic: A Field Study

The study aimed to reveal the dependence of Jordanian University Students on social platform networks as a source of information on the Corona Pandemic (Covid-19). The survey method was used, as the study population consists of Jordanian University Students who are regular in the academic year 2020/2021. A representative and available random sample was taken from those who could be reached electronically by distributing an electronic survey questionnaire, and the final number of the sample was (421). Social networks can play a positive role in disseminating and circulating information related to the Corona Pandemic, as it showed that the respondents supported increasing their knowledge about the Pandemic through social networks. Motivation based on want of knowledge tops the results with (high) level. As for the emotional effects, they were generally rated (moderate). The results showed that the behavioral influences were also (moderate).As for the follow-up topics, the study revealed that the search for the production of antivirus-vaccines was the forerunner of all the follow-up issues, as was the methods of prevention and side effects of the virus, while the level of follow-up of government instructions and the spreading status of the pandemic in the world decreased to lower levels. With regard to the demographic variables relating to the other variables, it appeared that there were no significant statistical differences, while these differences only appeared in relation to the master’s degree students. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.