Media Dependency Theory and News Consumption During Security Crises in Northern Nigeria

This study applies media dependency theory to examine news consumption patterns during security crises in Northern Nigeria, testing how uncertainty and threat conditions increase audience dependency on specific media sources. Media dependency theory proposes that audience reliance on media increases during periods of societal instability, crisis, and uncertainty, as individuals seek information to understand and navigate threatening environments. Northern Nigeria's persistent security crises including insurgency, banditry, and communal violence create recurring conditions for testing this theoretical proposition. This study uses a longitudinal panel survey design, collecting data from 380 respondents in Kano, Kaduna, Borno, and Sokoto States at three time points corresponding to pre-crisis baseline, acute crisis, and post-crisis periods identified from security event data over an 18-month window. Media dependency scales, source attribution, functional reliance indicators, and media attitude measures are assessed at each wave. Fixed effects panel regression tests the crisis-dependency relationship. Findings reveal significant increases in media dependency during acute crisis periods, with radio showing the largest dependency increase of 38 percent above baseline. Social media dependency shows the largest absolute increase but also the highest anxiety co-occurrence. Television dependency increases more among urban respondents than rural equivalents. Media dependency is mediated by perceived media performance during the crisis, with sources seen as providing accurate and timely information generating stronger dependency effects. The study contributes original Northern Nigerian empirical support for media dependency theory and identifies crisis communication implications for media organisations operating in conflict-affected zones.

Keywords: media dependency theory, security crises, Northern Nigeria, news consumption, crisis communication.