The knowledge gap theory was propounded by elite scholars Philip J Tichenor, then Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, George A. Donohue, Professor of Sociology, and Clarice. N Olien, Instructor in Sociology, all three researchers at the University of Minnesota explains how media content is absorbed by the audiences in our societies. It also explains the notion that individuals with a higher socioeconomic status absorb information presented by the mass media at a faster rate than those with a lower socioeconomic status. Hence arrives at an increased gap in knowledge between the two segments in society.
COVID-19 AS A CASE STUDY
Communication has proven to be an integral part of this fight against the ravaging pandemic that hangs on the neck of the country. The mass media such as the radio sets, television sets, and newspapers have been our major vehicles through which cautious information is disseminated through every nook and cranny in the country, including the directives or protocols which our President together with stakeholders lays down to help in the preventing and curtaining the spread of the virus through the country.
¶.Washing of hands with soap under running,
¶.Wearing of face masks in public places,
¶.Usage of alcohol-based hand sanitizers regularly and
¶.Social Distancing in public places.
¶.Closure of crowded places such as beer bars, nightclubs, etc.
These directives with the ability of the mass media have helped to be accessed by every individual who plies the roads in Ghana despite their social status.
But why do we have individuals with doubts about these directives?
It is rather unfortunate to hear on these same mass media outlets broadcasting how citizens are not adhering to the directives that could help in curtaining the virus.
One would say it is the recalcitrant character of these individuals, others would also say the message is not well understood by these natives. And in these times, preventive measures need to be understood and practiced by everyone in the country in order to fight the pandemic.
In sync with the ideas the scholars articulate, media messages are well understood by a section of our society, specifically the elites, individuals with high socioeconomic status who are already being exposed to good education. But let’s ask ourselves, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HALF OF THE SOCIETY PROBABLY DO NOT PRACTICE THE PREVENTIVE MEASURES? (ARE WE PREVAILING?)
Individuals with lower socioeconomic status would probably not adhere to the measures and hence, the community spread of the virus remains because they do not understand the dynamics of the virus and hence they do not see the importance of practicing these directives.
Taking into consideration the “COVID-19 UPDATE” the President gives to keep us updated on our quest to fight the virus, putting yourself in the shoes of individuals who are merely exposed to education and hence do not understand the technical terms of the English Language compared as to the opposite, it makes it difficult for these individuals to decipher the relevance of adhering to the directives.
As a result, they go to the markets and public places without even complying with the protocols, hence we will have individuals on the streets who hold to them that “the virus is made for the elites and not them”. It can be deduced that the socioeconomic status and educational level of these individuals have really played a massive role in their understanding of the media content in these chaotic times.
It is structurally seen that these messages are not meant for individuals with lower status in our society which happens to be a major threat to the country since the virus best spreads through daily interactions.
If the Information services are not made equal for the entire society, this gap in information will increase over the years.
Comments
Post a Comment