LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS, TOWARDS FOREIGN PROGRAMMES ON INDEPENDENT TELEVISION

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0     Introduction

          This chapter deals with review of existing literary materials that relate to the research work. The review is divided into theoretical review and empirical review.

2.1     Theoretical review

          This review will be carried out under headings such as cultivation theories, media effect theories, functions and dysfunction of the media and influence of television, effects of television on Health, television and imitation.

2.2     Mass Media Theories

          According to Ndimele and Innocent (2006: p. 221) it is generally believed that the mass media have tremendous influence on their audience. There are various types of influence of the media under different theories depending on the nature of the effect on the audience. But for the purpose of this research work, media effect theories that would be discussed are cultivation theory and uses and gratification.

          The uses and gratification theory is also known as functional theory. According to Dominick (1990) quoted in Ndimele and Innocent (2006: p228) the uses and gratification theory states that audience members have certain need or desires that are satisfied by using both media and non-media sources. The actual needs satisfied by the mass media are called Gratification. Rosengren et. al. (1982) argues that because of the uses and gratification people expect from the mass media, they (people everywhere) selectively expose themselves to the mass media content, choosing only those messages or channels that would serve the function of satisfying and gratifying their needs.

2.3     Cultivation Theory

          As regard the way people change in their attitude and behaviour, they will begin to dress, talks, walk etc in the same way as television personalities as they continue to watch more and more of television programmes. The popularity of hip-hop and rap music, foreign soap opera, fashion show etc and the way such artistes and personalities behave can gradually be adopted by people who appear to be the greatest fan of this culture.

          Gerber and Cross (1976) says that cultivation effect theory is simply a theory which suggest that heavy exposure to television “cultivates” in as a distorted perception of the world we live in making it seem more like the media portray it, than it is in real life. The effect in cultivation theory is to find out how the mass media, especially television make the audience equate reality with the world presented in mass media products.

2.4     Functional Role of the Media

          Ndimele and Innocent (2006) identify six categories of the role and function of the mass media in their Nigeria society. These are:

1.     News and information

2.     Education

3.     Interpretation and correction

4.     Selling and advertising

5.     Persuasion

6.     Entertainment and recreating

2.4.1  News and Information

          The most important function of the mass media is to attract with some important recent events and to enrich their knowledge regarding the events in the society in which they live. Innocent and Ndimele (2006), news gathering and information basically refers to the surveillance of the environment for the surveillance function of the media. The surveillance function of the media makes people aware and be on the lookout in the society.

          According to Ndimele and Innocent (2006), the first function of the media is to provide information to the people and to watch on the activity of the individual and government. The media alert the society and also warn people about impending dangers or disasters. For instance, the media can and do provide information on crisis in different part of the country, the out breed of diseases, conditions and so on. The people are made to prepare to face any eventualities anytime and anywhere.

2.4.2  Education

          Ndimele and Innocent (2006: 147) believe that the mass media instruct and teach the member of the society with a view to broaden the mental horizon. To them, information and news about event are not education. Education results when there is a significant change in a people’s behaviour for the benefit of the individual and larger society. The media impact knowledge on skills acquisition, character formation and intellectual development. Education through the media maybe formal or informal. It is formal when the media are used as a deliberate policy to teach for instance, there are children/students educational programmes on air were students can receive lecture from a teacher. It is informal when the media imbibe in people a change of approach and attitude to issues after having been instructed.

          This may occur incidentally or co-incidentally. Also, the media are took for the re-orientation of the society by campaigning against all of social views such as corruption, prostitution, drug abuse, drug and human trafficking through the provision of educate programmes.

2.4.3  Interpretation and Correlation

          Another important function of the mass media is to interpret or analyze the events or treads that the audience is already familiar with interpretation entails explanation so that the public is made to know what to do, how to do it not the application of doing or not doing it.

          Also Daramola (2003:28) submits that correlation analyzing refers to event into the environment and giving prescription for action in response to these event. Interpretation and correlation can be done through cartoons which though have humorous effects et face value, yet poses interpretation potentials for the readers. They may also be in the form of editorials, articles, features and opinion pieces (print) or news commentaries and analyzes (broadcast). Lastly, they may be in the form sponsored documentations that explain certain known phenomenon whose multiple effects are yet to be known.

2.4.4  Selling and Advertising

          Advertising is one function of the media that contributes the rapid-economic development. Advertising helps the media to do business and remain in business. Without advertising media organization will surely fold up no matter other sources of funds. This is why advertising has been described as the backbone of the media.

          Wherever the mass media need advertising in order to be in business, business outfits need advertisement to be in existence. The media help businesses sell their goods and services to the people while such selling in turn leads to Economic and National Development.   

2.4.5  Persuasion/Mobilization

          The mass media can convince and convent the public through critical reasoning and logical arrangement to abandon an old system and to embrace a new course of action. The media function adequate forces of motivation and mobilization for groups in society. The media can motivate and mobilize the people forming a relying point for agitations. The media have the power to another people’s consciousness and move them towards. Forming a formidable alliance for or against favorable or unfavorable policies, events etc in the society.

2.4.6  Entertainment and Recreation

          The television is credited with providing the greatest entertainment for the audience out of all the media of mass communication Okunna (1999:109) observes that “the functional objectives of mass media entertainment is generally regarded as that of providing division and escape from the harsh realities of life, relief from the medium of the day to day existence and lessening the stress and strain remanding from a rapidly changing world”. Entertainment from the mass media can be found in factual or functional stories on such things as love, crime, honor, conflict etc.

2.5     Dysfunctional Roles of the Media

          Merton (1957) states that the dysfunctional roles of the media are those unintended inadvertent impact of the media on the people. While carrying out the noble assignment of serving both the society and individual, the actions of the mass media could have some undesirable effect on the people. According to Merton there are five dysfunction of the media. They include;

1.     Causing unnecessary anxiety in society

2.     Nurturing of conflict 

3.     Causing a revolution of rising expectation.

4.     Narcotisation

5.     Privatization

          Of all the above, Narcotisation seems to be the most appropriate of the work. Narcotisation function of the media refers to the ability of the media to draw members of to their products or services (such as particular programme) and therefore constitute them into a captive audience. They somewhat become “addicted” to these products or service that they can conceal previously scheduled engagements or simply refers any engagement.

          In the same cultural values exhibits in such context (such as foreign programmes) also tend to compel the audience to want to imbibe them. The audience becomes accustomed to the personalities or artistes the attitude and behavior expressed in the products or services at the expense of other attitude or behavior expressed in the products or services at the expense of other attitude or behavior of other personalities or artistes.

2.6     The influence of television

          As a result of its ability to transmit sound, vision and motion simultaneously, television is a powerful mass mobilization medium. The effectiveness of television can be found in its unique advantage or other media of mass communication such advantage include the following:

1.  It provides instant and simultaneous access to an immense agenda.

2.  It helps in setting political, economic, social and cultural agenda.

3.  It allows for segmentation of programming within different airtime segments that suit different audience.

4.  It confers status on personalities and issue.

5.  It offers advertiser and producers ample room to explicit their creative talents in packaging their message.

6.  Television confers prestige on product, advertisers, personalities.

7.  It has considerable impact on leisure, sports, entertainment, culture and education through visual demonstration.

8.  It affords effective presentation of foreign programmes, issues, news etc to a local audience via Direct Broadcast Satellite.

2.7     Effects of Television on Health

          Eye problems may result for staring at a screen for great lengths of time. Survey show that at least a quarter of all computer users experience visual problems (Awake, Dec 22, 2002). One reason is that the blink rate may slow down, causing dryness and irritation of the eye. Blinking clears the eye, stimulate tears production and washing out contaminants.

          Awake magazine outlined some risk involved in playing electronic games as:

1.     Playing violent computer and video games may encourage aggressive behavior.

2.     Prolonged starring at the screen can cause eye strain.

3.     Games can rob you of money and time.

These are some of the problems that students face most times.

2.8     Television and Imitation

          Children who played violent video games tend to imitate the actions of their on screen counter parts. Children often watch how people, especially parents act and compose themselves and use this as a reference of how to behave.

          Testimony by authorities charged television with being responsible not only for showing violence but also for prompting juveniles to imitate it (Bittner 1989).

          It was on this note that the (NBC, 2006:41) warned that the portrayal of dangerous behavior which could invite imitation, shall be avoided. Also he “obscene, indecent and vulgar language, expression, presentation or representation is prohibited (NBC, 2009:39). These is to guide and prevent the youth from imitating what they watch on television”.

2.9     Empirical review

          The research is both survey method. The study is based on Gratification theory and cultivation theory.

          Obomanu (2008) worked on the influence of foreign television programmes on students; survey design was adopted for this study. This stud observed that students are influenced by television programmes. The recommendations of this work are:

1.     The government should enforce the Nigeria broadcast code stipulation of minimum of 70% local programmes content on television and terrestrial radio stations. Also further legislation to encourage citing of local television programmes should be encourage.

2.     There is need to train and retrain local television programme producers to improve on their quality of production.

3.     Local television station should be encouraged to show case African cultural films or programmes such as Things Fall Apart.

          Ortisegbubemi (2010) worked on the effects of students towards the use of foreign programmes on television survey design was adopted for their study. This study observed that student are greatly exposed to foreign  programmes. The recommendation of this work is based on the outcome. The outcome of this research is that independent television should broadcast more of local prorammes and less of foreign ones. This will reduce the rate of exposure and over-dependence of the students on foreign programmes which they do at the detriment of local programmes.