ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF CALABAR CARNIVAL

The study sought to assess influenc carnival. The study was anchored o Theory. The objectives were to find e of social media on audience perception of Calabar n Agenda Setting Theory and Uses and Gratification T out awareness of social media on residents of Calabar Municipality, find out if residents of Calabar Municipality recall about Calabar Carnival, find out influence of social media on Calabar Carnival and find out the extent of influence of social media on audience perception of Calabar Carnival. To achieve these, a survey using the questionnaire as the primary tool for data collection was conducted on 340 respondents. Findings revealed that Majority of Calabar residents are social media users and they are aware of Calabar Carnival. The residents perceived that the carnival contributes to economic and tourism development in the state. The study recommends that the activities of the carnival should always be improved on to meet audience entertainment and developmental needs. And that the carnival should serve as an enabling platform for societal development by creating more avenues for indigenous engagement and participation