BIG BROTHER AND ITS IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH
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BIG BROTHER AND ITS IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH
Abstract
The study examined Big Brother reality television shows and determined Nigerian students’ perceptions of the shows. A 22-item self-developed questionnaire with a reliability of 0.81 determined using Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was also used to collect data.
Using a basic random sampling procedure, the instrument was administered to 388 respondents recruited from six different departments across six faculties at the University of.
The findings indicate that Big Brother reality television episodes are developed with instructional content intended to educate the audience skills done or refined by the contestants, and the programmes assist audience members in learning about other people.
The study suggests that Big Brother reality television shows have a significant influence on audience members because they want to be like the people they see on the shows. Again, many Big Brother reality television viewers feel that what they see on the show is based on real-life situations rather than acting.
As a result, it is recommended, among other things, that because Big Brother reality television shows allow audience members to learn about others by watching contestants in the shows,
producers must ensure that Big Brother reality television shows aired on Nigerian television stations are those capable of positively impacting the lifestyles of Nigerians, particularly University students.
CHAPITRE ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Of The Study
Since the turn of the century, reality television has come to dominate both cable and broadcast primetime television programming schedules. In this respect, reality television is described as a show without actors in which the general public can participate as a contestant.
While theoretically any sort of live, unscripted, or non-fiction programme is reality TV, this investigation eliminates news, interviews, and talk show type programmes that were popular on television previously, and instead focuses on competitive and entertaining reality TV programmes.
Reality television, according to people in the television industry, is the most profitable type of television programming since it has cheaper production costs and often attracts more viewers and advertising revenue than scripted programmes (Hirschorn, 2007). However, it is not always clear why more people are viewing reality television.
Reality television is a broad category that comprises a wide range of programmes that strive to be both accurate and entertaining; it is a genre that has become the most popular programme among viewers and has made its way into African society.
Reality television is becoming increasingly popular among young people, particularly those aged 18 to 25 (Baumgardner, 2003; Brasch, 2003; Hiltbrand, 2004).
Reality television can be defined by four characteristics: the attempted use of passive camera surveillance, the illusion of reality, the concentration on regular people, and a degree of voyeurism.
Although all reality shows contain these characteristics, it is difficult to classify reality television as a standalone genre because it pulls from a variety of genres. Reality television, like many other television programmes, is evolving and changing.
The fact that the genre possesses traits from multiple genres not only makes it difficult to define, but it also makes it adaptable due to its capacity to draw from multiple genres.
Hill (2002:326) defines reality television as factual entertainment and further distinguishes three sub-genres of factual entertainment: observation programmes, information programmes, and programmes designed for television.
Documentaries concerning regular people in ordinary locations are referred to as observation programmes. Documentaries based on genuine stories that try to teach viewers something, such as about medical emergencies and pets, are examples of information programmes.
According to Roscoe (2001) and Malakoff (2005), reality television shows feature genuine people who are frequently placed in remarkable situations where their every move is captured as they respond to their surroundings.
As a result, as Roscoe (2001) points out, the traditional distinctions between fact and fiction, drama and documentary, and audience and text are blurred.
Fear Factor, The Biggest Loser, and Idols now have African counterparts. These shows are also available in other African nations under different names.
Big Brother is a reality television show in which a group of people are brought together in a large house, isolated from the outside world, and forced to live together while being constantly monitored by television cameras – a concept borrowed from George Orwell’s fictional dystopia of Oceania, a world of never-ending surveillance in the novel 1984.
Big Brother is the dictator who watches over the people of Oceania, and his scary catchphrase is “Big Brother is watching you.” The house-bound players in the Big Brother television show compete to avoid eviction and earn the prize money.
Big Brother Africa is the African version of the reality game show Big Brother, with an estimated viewership of more than forty million(40,000,000) across Africa. However, with the growth of satellite television in Africa, Big Brother debuted on the continent in 2003 and has roused African audience interest since its debut.
Seasons one through three included twelve contestants from twelve different nations. Season four (BBA Revolution) had 25 housemates from 14 different African nations, including Mozambique and Ethiopia; this was the first season with 14 countries, while season five (All Stars) featured fourteen past BBA players.
Season six (BBA Amplified) features 26 housemates from 14 different nations. Season seven (BBA Star Game) saw the cash prize increased to $300,000, 35 competitors divided into 14 pairs known as BBFs (Big Brother Friends), and seven VIP celebrity roommates from 14 different nations. Season eight (BBA the Chase) features 28 housemates and a cash reward of $300,000 USD.
The current one, the Ninth Season of Big Brother Africa Hotshots, is the focus of this research. The same 14 nations as the previous season (The Chase) hosted open auditions this year, with the exception of Angola, which was replaced by newcomers Rwanda.
Despite the fact that Angola was the only country left out of the initial 12 participating countries, Dstv aired a local Angolan Portuguese version, Big Brother Angola, this year. Additional auditions were done in Mozambique, so this season’s viewers can expect a little additional surprise.
The production of this season was halted due to the fire that destroyed the Big Brother house in Highlands North, Johannesburg. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the fire, which has yet to be determined. Season 9 debuted on October 5, 2014, with 26 competitors.
The programme began with more swag, introducing the show’s most dynamic and skilled housemates to date. The number of cameras was raised to 54, and there were 120 microphones. BBA, like all other Big Brother formats, has had concerns with sex, nudity, violence, cheating, and unfair voting.
The BBA programme, on the other hand, has been hailed for forging new ties amongst otherwise disparate people (vanZoonen & Aslama, 2006).
Bignell (2005) contends that the attractiveness of BBA stems from its portrayal of an African-originating programme whose agenda is not dominated by the normal wars and natural disasters that dominate European news agendas.
Big Brother has also received a great deal of scholarly interest. VanZoonen and Aslama (2006) examined the history of Big Brother, which will be explored in length in Chapter two of this book.
According to Roscoe (2001), Big Brother is built around performance since cameras drive players to perform for the audience as well as the other housemates in order to escape nomination.
Roscoe also demonstrates how Big Brother considers its audience is extremely media literate, and adolescents and youths (young adults) appear to suit this demographic.
However, the study looked at how a contentious reality television show like Big Brother Africa influenced youth behaviour, both positively and adversely, and how it influenced their academic and socio-cultural values.
To acquire data for the study, the researchers used Afe Babalola University students who watch the reality show on a regular basis.
1.2 Statement Of The Problem
Reality TV shows, as a dominant force in television entertainment, are thought to be less expensive to create and attract larger viewing numbers than regular programmes. However, several of these shows appear to have little to do with reality.
Reality television programming has both bad and good effects on viewers and participants. However, Big Brother is not an exception to the difficulties or negative impacts of reality shows, which on the surface create the idea that they are unscripted and authentic.
The reality, however, is far from glamorous: most reality shows are heavily produced and supervised. Stories and scenarios are planned ahead of time. The show has a tendency to highlight meanness, greed, dishonesty, the airing of housemates’ shower moments, and other unpleasant personality qualities on competitive platforms.
Based on this, the study investigates if the Big Brother Africa reality TV show has an impact on the social behaviour of teenagers, with Afe Babalola University students serving as study participants.
1.3 Objective Of The Study
The purpose of this study was to look into the impact of the reality television show Big Brother Africa on young people, specifically students at the University of Lagos. The goals are as follows:
Find out what university students think about Big Brother reality television shows.
Determine the impact of Big Brother reality television shows on university students and society.
Determine whether the gender of university students influences their view of reality television shows.
Discover the impact of Big Brother reality television personalities on university students.
1.4 Research Questions
What do university students think about Big Brother reality television shows?
What are the consequences of Big Brother reality television shows on university students and society?
How does the gender of university students influence their view of reality television shows?
What impact do Big Brother reality television personalities have on university students?
1.5Significance Of The Study
As previously discussed, reality television has emerged as a formidable rival for traditional programming on television. Many reality shows, such as Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, On Site, and Pop Idols, are broadcast on Digital satellite television (Dstv).
The fact that these shows are planned for prime time broadcast adds to reality television’s prominence and popularity.
Not only is reality television popular among its target audience, but inexpensive production costs also contribute to it being the genre of choice for production firms and broadcasters.
The conclusions of this study will serve as a foundation for future research into the effects of reality television programmes or viewership on Nigerian society, particularly youngsters.
Although there has not been much research on the impact of Big Brother Africa on Nigerian youths, this paper gives an up-to-date empirical analysis of the aforementioned and used Afe Babalola University students as samples for generalisation.
1.7 Scope Of The Study
The study’s scope was limited to Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, with students from all of the university’s colleges, which include Social and Management Sciences, Law, Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering, and Arts and Humanity.
Due to time constraints, all students could not be researched in their entirety, so the scope was reduced to selected Afe Babalola University students.
1.8 Definition Of Terms
Youth is best defined as a period of transition from childhood dependence to adulthood. According to the Africa Youth Charter, youth is defined as “anyone between the ages of 15 and 35.”
Television (TV) is a popular telecommunication media for broadcasting and receiving moving images accompanied by sound and, on occasion, text.
Reality television is a genre of television that seeks to depict how regular people behave in everyday life or in scenarios that are often created by the programme makers to be similar to everyday life.
Students: A group of people who attend a school, college, university, or other institution of learning. Students at Afe Babalola University are taking part in this study.
Television viewership: the amount of time individuals spend watching television or a television programme.
Television watchers/audiences: refers to the viewers of a television programme or station.
Influence is defined as the ability to alter, control, or manipulate something or someone. According to this study, influence can be defined as the power that the Big Brother Africa TV programme has over young people.
Big Brother Africa (BBA) is the African version of the Big Brother game show.
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