BEING SECURITY CONSCIOUS: ANALYSING SOCIAL MEDIA SECURITY-ORIENTED MESSAGES IN CREATING SECURITY ALERTNESS IN IMO STATE, NIGERIA

This study investigated the role of social media in creating security alertness in Imo State, Nigeria. The research design for this study was a mixed-methods approach employing survey and content analysis. The data indicated that both Imo State Blog and Imo State New Media Facebook pages featured security-related information but with variable rates. Imo State Blog had 11 security-related postings within one year, whereas Imo State New Media published merely 7 posts over the same period. Also, findings suggested that the majority of people had frequent exposure to security-related posts on social media platforms and were aware of security alertness messages sent through these platforms. It was concluded that social media plays an essential role as a medium for enhancing security alertness and encouraging community safety behaviours within the region.