1.1 Introduction
A reality show is a television program that tries to depict how regular people act in everyday life or in settings that are frequently contrived by the show’s creators and are meant to reflect normal life. A reality show may also be described as a television show in which regular people or celebrities are recorded going about their daily lives or doing specific activities. It’s worth noting that most reality television shows have a significant impact on the most vulnerable group of people, adolescents (Andrejevic, 2008).
According to Andrejevic (2008), television is a popular and an extremely good means of disseminating information that has a significant impact on people’s lives all over the world. For many people, television is a major source of information and entertainment. It gives them the chance to see people, places, and things they may not have seen before. Television affects the society’s perspective of the globe in an increasingly global culture (Andrejevic, 2008).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Television reality show is a new trend in show business and many television stations are following this trend. One of the characteristics of some reality show is that they can be addictive as they sometimes have the newness it takes to sustain the audience (Rodrigues, 2021). It has become a common attitude for people especially the young ones to watch one reality programme or another on television stations. The attraction to reality shows comes from the portrayal of live unscripted and unedited motion pictures which have made it gain large popularity.
BBN as a reality show, has been on for the past fifteen years, the show which commonly attracts the adolescents is one that showcase and create opportunities for its participants in the world of entertainment as many who go in to participate for the show quickly become stars. Participants of this reality show are mainly young Nigerians who go through audition and after selection they are housed for three months with different tasks assigned to them. They exit the house through eviction on weekly basis after which a winner emerged.
Vijaykumar (2012) cites the World Health Organization (WHO) as defining an adolescent as someone between the ages of 10 and 19. Adolescence is also defined as a period of growth and development that occurs between childhood and maturity. This is the age at which a young boy or girl becomes an adult.
Adolescents begin to use abstract thinking to explain their actions as early as adolescence. Post-conventional morality is based on self-selected ethical concepts that are typically broad and universal, such as justice, dignity, and equality Mckay (2010). Vijaykumar (2012) noted that adolescents easily align or identify with their culture, to the things they see at home and around them, in school and in the media. This observation affects their moral reasoning and moral behavior. When children are younger, their family, culture, and religion greatly influence their moral decision-making. During the early adolescent period, teenage pressure have a greater influence than we really care to accept.
Socially, adolescence is the time the young adults look to identify with people they perceive to be friendly, trustworthy and reliable. At this point in life, some adolescents tend to withdraw from their parents, feel a sense of belonging with certain people and easily accept or adapt to things frequently shown to them. Reality television is a huge part of television viewing culture. It may be clear to many adults that not all is “real” in the world of reality TV but not for most of the adolescents and teenagers.
Television reality shows have become so popular and accepted globally that their impact is taken for granted in the western society such as United States of America, Britain and Holland. The Argument has been that TV reality shows are not simulated. They are produced and broadcast in real time with real people. Reality television show has in recent times significantly proved to be a favourite programme among the adolescent - particularly those who fall within the range of ages 18 – 25 (Chikafe et al., 2012).
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Television Reality Show and It’s Effects on the Moral and Social Life of Adolescents.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that some adolescents have life experiences that may interfere with their moral development and reality television helps to bring it closer to them. Reality television shows really does affect their attitudes, beliefs, self-image and behavior. Vijaykumar in 2012 expressed that this is a huge concern because in most of the Reality Television shows aired, the common themes are usually sex appeal, physical beauty, excessive and aggressive partying, materialism, lack of focus on important things, aggression, bullying etc.
This is because at this time of their lives, their friends are the closest people to them and the urge to impress and feel among is very strong. However, how does the most vulnerable class of people which are the adolescents understand the world of reality TV? What could reality TV be teaching adolescent boys and girls; in particular, about what is valued intentional morality. Hence, necessitate this study.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Television Reality Show and It’s Effects on the Moral and Social Life of Adolescents. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To identify the effects of television reality show on the moral and social life of adolescents;
- To determine the extent reality television show has affected the moral and social life of adolescents;
- To examine the moral development that adolescents derive from viewing Big Brother Naija reality TV show; and
- To identify the necessary steps to curb the effects of the use of social media on the moral and social life of adolescents.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Does an adolescent have access to Big Brother Naija Reality TV show?
- To what extent has reality television show affected the moral and social life of adolescents?
- What are the effects of television reality show on the moral and social life of adolescents?
- What are the necessary steps to curb the effects of the use of social media on the moral and social life of adolescents?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant moral development impact derived from watching Big Brother Naija among adolescents in Abia State
- H1: There is a significant moral development impact derived from watching Big Brother Naija among adolescents in Abia State
Hypothesis Two
- H0: There are no significant effects of television reality show on the moral and social life of adolescents
- H1: There are significant effects of television reality show on the moral and social life of adolescents
1.7 Significance of Study
The results of this study will be extremely beneficial to parents and other adult caregivers of teenagers, as it will enable them to understand the social and moral effects that reality television is having on their charges.
Additionally, this research will assist television regulators in enacting legislation and making the necessary adjustments to help limit the excesses of reality television and its detrimental effects on teenagers.
Furthermore, this study will make it easier to understand the changes that watching reality television has caused in teenagers.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Television Reality Show and It’s Effects on the Moral and Social Life of Adolescents using Big Brother Naipaul as a case study. This research will be carried out in the capital city of Abia State which is Aba. Adolescents of selected secondary schools in Aba shall serve as enrolled participants for this study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
- Initial Cooperation Delay from Respondents: A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.
1.10 Definition of Terms
Reality TV Show:
This is the type of television programme that present real time situation of participants or housemate as they relate with each other without having connection to outside world.
Television:
This is genre of mass media that broadcast programme with the combination of sound and audio to pass out massage to the audience.
Moral:
This can be defined as being concerned with the principles of right and wrong behaviour. It can also be said to be holding high principles for moral conduct.
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