COVID-19 Sensitization and the Media in the World of Information Overload

Abstract

The end of November 2019 saw the initial discovery of COVID-19 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The rapidly changing facts on COVID- 19 are delivered through minute-by-minute updates, daily government brie􀅫ings, and expert commentary. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted individuals' mental health worldwide. This study investigated the relationship between COVID-19 sensitization and stress, anxiety, and depression, extensively using social media as a potential mediator and information overload as a moderator. Additionally, the study examined the application of technological determinism theory to understanding these associations. The research involved 146 undergraduate students at Redeemer's University, Nigeria, who completed a self-administered questionnaire. A quantitative research design with a cross-sectional approach was employed, and SmartPLS was used for data analysis. The results revealed a signi􀅫icant positive association between COVID- 19 sensitization and stress, anxiety, and depression. Social media use acted as a partial mediator, suggesting that individuals experiencing higher stress, anxiety, and depression levels were more likely to engage extensively with social media platforms, potentially reinforcing their COVID-19 sensitization. Furthermore, information overload signi􀅫icantly moderated the relationship between social media use and COVID-19 sensitization. Individuals with higher information overload experienced heightened COVID-19 sensitization when using social media extensively. Additionally, people are exposed to more information the more often they use media, which increases the possibility that they will experience information overload. .