EFFECTS OF VIOLENT FILMS ON NIGERIAN CULTURAL VALUES
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EFFECTS OF VIOLENT FILMS ON NIGERIAN CULTURAL VALUES
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The most important concern in the debate over violent films has been whether they encourage aggressive behaviour among viewers, particularly young people (Evra 1990). Researchers have also discovered that excessive exposure to screen violence can lead to problems in other aspects of social behaviour.
For example, it can cause people to become fearful of the world around them while also accepting violence in real life as demonstrated by others (Evra 1990).
Violence is a global concern that affects all parts of the world. Antisocial behaviour in humans is believed to be linked to a variety of physiological, psychological, domestic, and cultural factors.
The learning environments in which a child is exposed are also thought to contribute to an increase in aggressive behaviours and attitudes, as well as an inclination to societal customs, values, and norms (Berkowitz, 2001).
The media, as a specific learning condition, is thought to contribute to the development of antisocial attitudes and behaviours in children and teenagers (Ibid). While social scientists investigate the primary causes of violence, such as social environments, cultural factors, family instruction, and group membership, parents, teachers, politicians, and school administrators continue to blame the media for increased cultural alienation and attitudinal change among adolescents (Fraser and Staub, 1996).
Considerations about the effects of films date back to the 1920s. At the time, Western countries conducted the first coordinated social scientific research or investigation into the impact of these effects. It was intended to investigate the negative effects of films on society.
During the 1950s, as this medium became a popular source of mass entertainment and information, similar concerns about potential harms arose, particularly among young audiences (Gunter 1994).
Many people are concerned about the values and attitudes that can be instilled through exposure to certain types of media content, particularly enculturation and violence in films (Kubey and Larson, 2005).
Nigerian youths are increasingly adopting alien cultural values that are incompatible with the Nigerian way of life [1]. The Nigerian youth may not be totally responsible for lack of appreciation of our culture.
Famous among vehicles of cultural imperialism are the mainstream media. Television, with its visual, audio and motion capacities ranks among the most influential medium of communication in recent times.
Television shows are transmitted at the local level to the local public, national level to the national audience who cut across different ethnic groups and religion, and global level to the international community or audience who are positioned within different countries of different continents.
Global television, which involves satellite transmission of programming from one country to many other countries, is the most powerful instrument of cultural imperialism.
For instance, school principals, mothers, and young people were surveyed for their perceptions of factors influencing home cultures among youth. The results demonstrated that violent messages in rap music and violence in the movies are viewed as the factor among others, influencing the formative process of the youths (Kandakai, Price and Telljohann, 1999).
Also and importantly, the topic of cultural promotion in the developing countries has been hampered by naive acceptance and practice of western cultures by the young ones. Findings however show that film as a medium of mass communication is one the major contributors.
The media as a secondary agent of socialization has to a very big extent influenced the lives of individuals cutting across diverse socio-cultural and economic status. Its role in the lives of people and especially young people cannot be overemphasized.
This is backed by Iorza (2014) who noted that “youths are the most vulnerable victims of cultural imperialism. Socialization and culture are two sides of the same coin and hence, they remain intimately linked”.
William (1977), and Devadas and Ravi (2013) defined culture as an ongoing integral part of the existence of every society and is learned, taught transmitted from one generation to another using varying agents of socialization.
Suffice here to say that no culture survives without a style of life peculiar to their existence, which necessarily impacts their interactional process both internally and externally. The interactional process of members of a society culminates into a value system for them which suggest their views of the world.
Values of humans could refer to perceptions on worthy or unworthy topic; liked or disliked attribute and among other parts of the world view. When a certain world view is held and established by a cultural group over a period of time, it turns into cultural value and grows to become a legacy.
Thus, against the backdrop, Kluckhohn as cited in Daramola (2005) states that “culture is a social legacy that an individual acquires from his group, which comprises of values, customs, beliefs, language, religion, technology, emotional patterns, behavioural patterns and among many other socio-cultural symbols”.
The Nigerian government has made significant efforts towards the development of indigenization in all sectors of the economy including the promotion of indigenous television and radio program and manufacture of indigenous consumer programs for her citizenry.
The purpose of the Nigerian government towards her indigenization program has been to encourage the Nigerian youths who are already trapped in the problem of embracing the local cultures and holding strong unto acquired foreign cultures.
The emphasis of this article is to explore the Nigerian youths‟ reaction to foreign television programs, the impact of such programs on their lifestyles, and the possibility of making the Nigerian local content more attractive to the Nigerian youth.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Nowadays, the teenagers in Nigeria and Africa as a whole watch western films with impunity or without caution. This shapes their thoughts, attitudes, associations, behaviors and general ways of life. Many teenagers’ cultural values have been negatively influenced by their exposure to violent films.
The study’s problem is that watching violence-oriented films on television appears to influence the behaviour of young people in Nigeria. Films have a dramatic effect on viewers’ perceptions
whether they are aware of it or not, and this is true for any society’s processes. It is beneficial to be peaceful, avoiding violence and resolving conflicts through communication and nonviolent ways.
Repeated exposure to violence tends to instill stereotypes in people’s minds, and they quickly begin to unconsciously reenact the same situations they witness in films. This type of situation causes challenges for society and, if not addressed appropriately, can become a major issue for society to deal with.
Some of the concerns with kids’ exposure to violent films are inadequate policies to protect youths from violence. TV shows, the degradation of traditional values, the replication of Western cultures, particularly American cultures, and the exposure of Nigerian youngsters to brainwashing. These challenges requires the needs to conduct out a study on effects of violent films on Nigerian cultural values.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The overall goal of this study is to investigate the effects of violent films on Nigerian cultural values. The specific objectives are as follows:
1. Determine teenagers’ preferences for violent films in Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State.
2. To investigate the impact of violent films on the dressing habits of teenagers in the Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State.
3. To investigate if violent films influence the temperament of teenagers in the Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State.
4. To look at the detrimental effects of violent films on teens in the Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State.
5. To examine if violent films damage the cultural values of teenagers in Agege Local government area of Lagos state.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS.
The following questions are pertinent to this study:
1. What is the choice of violent films among teenagers in Agege Local government area of Lagos state?
2. What effect do violent films have on teens’ dressing patterns in Lagos State’s Agege Local Government Area?
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