C PREFERENCE AND USAGE PATTERN OF COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL MEDIA AMONG RESIDENTS OF DELTA STATE, NIGERIA Emmanuel UFUOPHU-BIRI Department of Mass Communication, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. eubiri@yahoo.co.uk. 08036761344 Abstract Community media are community owned, oriented, operated and are focused on community participation and development. Meanwhile, social media connect friends and users who could cut across continents. While community media focus on the community development, social media seem to have no clear cut focus for community development, thus the goals of community and social media are different. The study thus investigated the preference and usage pattern of community and social media among residents of Delta State. The study adopted Uses and Gratification theory, which finds answers for people's use of the media and the benefits they derive from the usage. Survey and questionnaire were used as the method and instrument respectively. The findings show that the respondents prefer getting exposed to social media more than community media; they prefer using social media to using community media; they also use the community and social media for different purposes. The study also found education, urban/rural residency, gender and age as significant correlates of community and social media usage among residents of Delta state. The study recommends that relevant authorities and bodies should encourage the residents of Delta State to patronize community media and to discourage them from using the social media for negative activities; and communities should establish and operate community media outfits. Keywords: Delta State, Social Media, Preference and Usage Pattern. Introduction ommunity media are distinct from the mainstream mass media that address large heterogeneous audience spread across large geographical periphery and which sometimes cuts across continental frontiers. Community media are for information need of a specific community, which are homogenous within a modest geographical definition. Nwanne (2013) believes that community media are publications or broadcast outfits which serve the needs of the community. UNESCO (2008) points out that community media could be print, broadcast or online. Community media could be published or broadcast in local language or pidgin. Examples of community media in Nigeria include Orizu Sun (Ikorodu), Lagos, Tafikwazo (Northern part of Nigeria), Urhobo Voice (Delta Central, Nigeria) Isoko Vanguard (Delta South, Nigeria) Ukwani Voice, Ika Weekly, Anioma Voice, Ndokwa Vanguard all in (Delta North, Nigeria). Lerner, Roberts and Matlala (2009) explain that the term community media could also stand for community journalism, grassroots journalism, community radio, alternative media, resistance media, citizen journalism, and NGO media. They provide the communities with their information needs and