This study assesses how users employ the WhatsApp status updates tool to share COVID-19 relevant information, their motivation for this behaviour, and its influence on their adherence to the prevention messages about the disease. By employing the Technology Acceptance Model, in-depth interviews were used to examine how young adult undergraduate communication students aged between 18-25 years old in Ghana use WhatsApp status updates to share COVID-19 relevant messages. A thematic analysis revealed that participants use this tool to attract attention and engender interaction with people on COVID-19 preventive messages among their phone contacts. This paper concludes that WhatsApp status updates are a useful tool for sharing COVID-19 relevant messages among young adult undergraduate communication students in Ghana.

doi: https://www.doi.org/10.22720/hnmr.2020.5.1.091