IMPACT OF FACEBOOK ON COVID 19 AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AMONG STUDENTS OF OSUN STATE POLYTECHNIC, IREE

This study examines the impact of Facebook on COVID 19 awareness campaign among students of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree. During the pandemic, public health communication depended heavily on digital platforms because timely updates, preventive guidelines, and behavioral messages had to reach audiences quickly. The World Health Organization identified COVID 19 as an infodemic as well as a health crisis, noting that false or misleading information could create confusion, risky behaviour, and mistrust. In Nigeria, the national Risk Communication and Community Engagement strategy emphasized clear, convincing, and actionable messages, while Facebook itself reported that it connected users to authoritative health resources and worked to remove harmful COVID 19 misinformation. Using a qualitative documentary review design, this paper draws on official institutional sources and relevant studies on students, social media, and COVID 19 information. The study finds that Facebook contributed positively to awareness by increasing access to updates, preventive information, and public discussion, but its effectiveness was weakened by misinformation, uneven digital literacy, and the gap between awareness and actual behavioural compliance. The paper concludes that Facebook had a meaningful impact on COVID 19 awareness campaigns among students, but that its influence was strongest when official, credible, and repeated messages were combined with media literacy and institutional guidance.