THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION IN CROSS

This study investigated the role of social media in information dissemination in Cross River State, Nigeria. Using a descriptive survey design, the research examined the extent of social media usage, its effectiveness in information sharing, and challenges encountered by users. A sample of 384 respondents was drawn from four local government areas using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and chisquare tests. Findings revealed that 89.3% of respondents actively use social media platforms, with WhatsApp (92.1%), Facebook (78.4%), and Instagram (65.2%) being the most popular. Social media was found to be highly effective (mean = 4.21, SD = 0.87) in disseminating information, particularly for news updates, civic engagement, and business promotion. However, significant challenges were observed including misinformation (76.8%), poor internet connectivity (68.5%), and information overload (54.2%). The study concluded that social media plays a crucial role in information dissemination in Cross River State but requires regulatory frameworks and digital literacy interventions. It was recommended among others that government should establish factchecking mechanisms, improve digital infrastructure, promote media literacy programs, and develop state-wide social media policies for official communication thereby leveraging the advantages of social media usage in Cross River State.