PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MEDIA USAGE AND INFORMATION EXPOSURE ABOUT COVID-19

Abstract

This study investigates the psychological effects of exposure to information from the use of media during pandemic Covid-19. In information exposure, can be seen from the aspects of motivation, excess information, the suitability of information which is considered as important variables in the information provided. Within the context of Pandemic, this study looks at the sources of information, the use of media, the exposure to information, the type of information and psychological aspects of the audience in term of feelings that arise after receiving information related to Covid-19. This study used an online survey conducted in the Greater Jakarta and Bandung areas. The questionnaire was distributed to 1000 respondents in a representative manner according to the percentage of population, gender, and age category. The result showed that television is the most prominent sources of information related to Covid-19. Meanwhile for digital media usage, Google as search engine is the highest percentage as source of information, followed by Instagram and YouTube. Furthermore, in the aspect of type of information, most of respondents exposed by the information about maintain social distancing and the measurement to prevent the acceleration and the spread of Covid-19. Psychological effects occurs at peak when respondents receive information from television, family and friends, while WhatsApp as social media tends to have higher impact on psychology as compared to other social media.