Assessing the Use of Indigenous Communication Media among Rural Dwellers of Osun State, Nigeria

The study assessed the use of indigenous communication media among rural dwellers of Osun state to determine their knowledge level. Specifically, indigenous communication media that are often utilized by the rural dwellers were identified and socio-economic characteristics were described. Key informants and other 120 respondents were interviewed using interview schedule from two communities in each of the six administrative zones of the state. Data analysis was carried out using frequency counts, percentage, mean, standard deviation. Data analysis showed the mean age of respondents to be 47±7 years and 65% of them were male. Majority were literate. The findings revealed that majority had low knowledge about indigenous communication and more so, most of this communication had gone to extinction except on few cases such as use of proverbs, folklores and songs in which they were highly knowledgeable. Key informant interview showed that coded symbols were phasing out. The study concluded that the use of indigenous communication media was being gradually phased out. It recommends that Indigenous communication media that are often used should not be abandoned in the face of modern communication media, and those that are abandoned should be used so that people, especially the young, would get used to them.