The role of various media platforms as potentially effective news channels is high today, and during the COCID-19 pandemic, using different digital resources to disseminate important information about coronavirus prevention is one of the common approaches. This research proposal aims to investigate the effectiveness of targeted media campaigns in Saudi Arabia and Australia to compare the two states’ work in this direction and identify the strengths and weaknesses of their socially-oriented public awareness policies.
Potential Examiners
As a stakeholder to engage in this study, interacting with a research supervisor is a useful way to discuss the issue and find out the optimal channels for finding the necessary rationale. The course instructors are also reputable scholars who can help conduct credible research. Recommendations from tutors will provide an opportunity to coordinate the direction of the study and select useful sources to apply.
Gaps in the Current Research
The topic of engaging digital resources to conduct media campaigns to educate the population about the threats of the COVID-19 pandemic is significant from the standpoint of the authorities’ social responsibility to citizens. However, in a research environment, one can find some gaps that prevent assessing the quality of such programs. For instance, the data from individual countries are cited, which does not provide a comprehensive picture of the issue. According to Hassounah et al. (2020), the situation in each state is constantly changing, and individual methods of influencing the population are applied. Alyami et al. (2020), in turn, draws attention to media sources as motivators but focuses on the impact of the pandemic only on Saudi Arabia. Similarly, Smith and Judd (2020) and Thomas et al. (2020) look at media exposure through the lens of the Australian situation, which limits the scope of assessment. In this regard, the comparison of the practices of engaging digital resources in two different regions can help identify common and distinctive mechanisms for alerting the population and, thereby, highlight the most effective practices.
Methodology
As a methodology, comparative research will be used as the main mechanism for evaluating the proposed topic. By collecting the data about media campaigns in Saudi Arabia and Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic, unique characteristics will be obtained and compiled into a single study. This will reveal the common and distinctive features of addressing the problem and help find the most effective practices for educating the population. Within a month, relevant data may be collected and interpreted based on the proposed methodology.
Resource Requirements
Collecting data will not require much time since all the necessary information is available in public resource databases and specialized websites. As the main data sources, both academic articles and journal publications may be utilized. In addition, the official statistics on the spread of the pandemic in the two regions under consideration are required, and this information can be obtained wither on the WHO website or on local digital platforms.
Timeline
One month is enough to conduct research on the proposed topic. The data for analysis and comparison will be collected within one week. The remaining three weeks will be spent on compiling comparative matrices and comparing the outcomes of the targeted work of media resources in the two designated regions. During this period, communication with stakeholders can take place simultaneously to discuss the specifics of the study.
Expectation of Research Results
The identification of the unique methods of using media resources in the two considered regions is the main objective to implement in the study. By comparing practices at the local level, relevant conclusions will be drawn on the outcomes of outreach efforts in Saudi Arabia and Australia. This will allow highlighting the most effective ways of interaction and offering them as universal tools to apply in the media field.
References
Alyami, H. S., Orabi, M. A., Aldhabbah, F. M., Alturki, H. N., Aburas, W. I., Alfayez, A. I., Alharbi, A. S., Almasuood, R. A., & Alsuhaibani, N. A. (2020). Knowledge about COVID-19 and beliefs about and use of herbal products during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 28(11), 1326-1332. Web.
Hassounah, M., Raheel, H., & Alhefzi, M. (2020). Digital response during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e19338. Web.
Smith, J. A., & Judd, J. (2020). COVID‐19: Vulnerability and the power of privilege in a pandemic. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 31(2), 158-160. Web.
Thomas, T., Wilson, A., Tonkin, E., Miller, E. R., & Ward, P. R. (2020). How the media places responsibility for the COVID-19 pandemic – An Australian media analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 483. Web.