PROPOSAL / CHAPTER ONE
1.0
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
This study is on The Impact of Western Television Programmes On
The Cultural Values Of Nigerian Youths using Osun State Polytechnic, Iree
Students as a case study. The term culture has been defined differently by
different writers of different age.
Culture is a very broad concept in sociology, Clyde Kluchohn
(1905-1960), an American anthropologist defines culture as the total way of
life commonly followed by the members of a society. He added that culture is a
social legacy the individual acquired from his group. According to him culture
includes values, beliefs, customs, religion, technology e.t.c
Edwards
B. Taylor (2001) describes culture as “that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a member of society” Culture possess an obvious continuity
that extend beyond the lifetime of those who passes create and utilize it, and
the structure of a society persist despite the continual replacement of its
members.
However,
the electronic mediait which radio is representing intends to pass the
messages, it is important to know that it is through the media which is the
radio that the targeted audience can be reached. Moemaka
(1997) observes that culture and communication have a symbolic relationship.
Culture determines the code, context and meaning of communication and
communication is the life wire of any culture without communication, no culture
can survive.
In his concept of “empathy”, Lerner states that the inhabitants of
third world nations must learn to empathize with the West for modern
transformation of their societies to be possible. Schramm (1964), on the other
hand, developed an interesting model in which he equates the level of social
development of communication to various nations. Access to these modern mass
media (Radio, Television, films, telephone, and newspapers) is linked to
individual modernity. Nigeria and other third world countries have reacted to
these finding by inventing a substantial amount of their foreign exchange
earnings to import radio and television transmitters and sets. The television
programmes especially provides many powerful models for children and abundant
opportunities for observational learning.
Some of
the television programmes show casing of western television stations focus
extensively on illicit sex, war, violence, crime, terrorism, drug abuse and
alcohol used, big vehicle, jwerries, vulgar Language and behaviours. Etc. which
is against the culture of Nigerian society.
Studies
have been found by early adolescence that the average Nigerian children have
watched thousands of dramatized murders and countless other acts of violence on
television. For many years, psychologists have debated the question of whether
watching violence on Tv have detrimental effects on children. A number of
experiments both inside and outside the laboratory have found evidence that
viewing Tv violence is relayed to increased aggression in children.
Nigerians as exemplified by trends in Osogbo Metropolis and its
environment where Western exports of television entertainment, information are
shown in OSBC,NTA, ESBS Television, Channel Channels, AIT, ESPN –“Expanded
Sports programmes Network” channel provided by various satellite transmission
operators as DSTV, Multi – Choice, Music television, Euro – sports, etc. Have
raised Nigerians eyebrows to such Western television programmes. Thereby,
making them to behave like them, associate with them and even speaks like them.
Even our generation that is shown on AIT, Channels, and the youth perspective
on OSBC are presented by youth and replete with music video of Western origin
dominated by rape stars as (Late) Tupac, Beyonce, Ashanti, 50- Cent, Sean Paul,
Kelly Rowland, Celine Dion, etc. It is the researcher’s believe that western
television especially American television exports have a strategic “weapon”
aimed to overpower the cultural values of Nigerian youths.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
The Impact of Western television programmes on the cultural values
of Nigerian youths have been said to be a serious problem facing Nigerians.
Some of these problems are:
i.
Inadequate policy to guard
the youths towards Western Tv programmes.
ii.
There is an erosion of the
cultural values.
iii.
The imitation of Western
cultures especially the American cultures.
iv.
The Nigerian youths are
faced with brain wash.
Therefore, if the above problems are not been taking care of, it
will lead to a total destruction of the Nigerians culture.
1.3
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The researcher’s objective is to conduct an in-depth research on
the Impact of Western television programmes on the cultural values of the
Nigerian youths with an insight to determine its implication to the cultural
values of Nigerian youths are:
i.
To show how the contents
of Western television programme affects Nigerian Students of Higher Institution
of learning.
ii.
To examines its pervasive
impact on the cultural values of students of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree.
iii.
To know how to isolate
Western television programmes from Nigeria.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research questions are arranged questions meant to be asked by
the researcher and receives a feedback (answer) from a respondent. For a
researcher to achieve her aim, the following question should be used.
i.
Do Nigerian youths expose
themselves more to Tv than other media?
ii.
Do they prefer Western Tv
programmes to locally produced ones and why if yes?
iii.
Do Nigerian youths
identify more with locally or foreign Tv stars as models?
iv.
Will improvement of local
Tv/movies industries improve Nigerian youth’s preference for local TV product?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
i.
The research will help in
possible dilution, domination and finally absorption of the African/Nigerian
culture which until the present has been characterized with good
neighbourliness, respect for elders, virtuousness, community orientation and
collectivism.
ii.
It will enable the
government and policy makers to put adequate measures in place to check the
movement of Western television programmes into Nigeria.
iii.
It will help remove the
idea of imitating Western cultures or ways of life from Nigeria.
iv.
The conduct of this
research will enable the government to know what role the media can play in the
development of a country and therefore, harness the mass media especially Tv in
the democratic process and development process in general.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study is to find out how the Western Television
Programmes affect the Cultural Values of Nigerian Youths using Students of Osun
State Polytechnic, Iree as a case study.
The institution is been noted for a constant influence of Western
television programs on their cultural values. Hence, the need for choosing the institution
as a case study commenced.
In the cause of the research, oral interview were consulted on
both staffs and students of the institution. But the research depends more on
the questionnaire which were distributed to students and staffs and were completed
and returned. The researcher also consulted some textbooks, Newspapers and
journals which provided a lot of information pertaining to the study.
1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Though this research work is on the Impact of Western television
programmes on the cultural values of Nigerian youths. It is limited to Students
of Osun state Polytechnic, Iree using five departments that were randomly
selected from faculties and hundred questionnaires that were distributed
to them. This is because of time and resource, had it been that time and
resource were available similar studies would have been done in other higher
institution of learning in the country so as to ensure a more embracing
result.
1.8 DEFINITIONS OF THE TERMS
a. YOUTH
Conceptual: It means young men and women.
Operational: It is defined as students in various Universities in Nigeria and
who fall between the ages of 15 -30
b. MEDIA
Conceptual: The means of giving news and opinions to large number of people.
Operational: The media is operationalised as Tv. Broadcast used to generate
or circulate information to the public.
c. CULTURAL IDENTIFY
Conceptual: it is the self definition, self perception and self- image of a
person as a member of a group exhibiting uniform culture that are consistent
with the values of that group.
Operational: It is those commonly shares socio-political interpretation and
meanings related to the beliefs, norms, values, attitudes and behaviours within
Nigeria.
d. CULTURAL DOMINANCE
Conceptual: This refers to nations of neocolonialism that uses policy and
practice that have effect to dominate the culture and affairs of less developed
countries.
Operational: it means the conscious and unconscious domination by Western Tv media on the media system of Nigeria.
Operational: it means the conscious and unconscious domination by Western Tv media on the media system of Nigeria.
