ABSTRACT
This study investigates the role of social media in promoting proactive and preventive public health discourse. Using computer-mediated and multimodal discourse approaches as its theoretical underpinning, we discuss how COVID-19 public awareness messages transmitted through WhatsApp constitute a sub-component of Digital Health Discourse. The data set comprises posts, chats, images (and memes) extracted from the WhatsApp handles of the researchers and some citizens. Many of the data were originally internet-generated public health advocacy material but were transmitted and widely shared through WhatsApp platforms. We used media monitoring and manual download techniques to harvest more than 30 semiotically driven posts transmitted and re-shared between 2020 and 2022. The study relies on qualitative technique based on content analysis to describe and discuss how the posts as multimodal discourse texts project compelling and persuasive public awareness narratives designed to curb the spread of the virus and promote vaccine uptake in Nigeria.
