CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The idea of reality is the representation of things as they truly are in the physical world; it is the essence of things as they are. Reality television was conceived as a type of entertainment media based on the idea that things are seen as they actually are. Therefore, a broad spectrum of television shows that strive to be authentic, factual, and entertaining are generally understood to be reality television. Roscoe (2015) shows where real people are frequently put in circumstances where their lives are continuously recorded as they respond to their surroundings are known as reality television entertainment. Depending on the theme of the show, this type of television program features regular people, actors, or celebrities in presumably spontaneous tragic or comedic scenarios (Nwafor and Ezike, 2015). Since the producers of reality TV programme their everyday lives and put them on public display, one of the main requirements for the entertainment industry is that participants willingly give up any claim to a private existence for the duration of the show. Contestants or participants in these reality TV series enter with the hopes of winning money and notoriety (Sarpong 2018). In reality television entertainment programs, people act and respond in actual or artificial surroundings on camera to demonstrate how they comprehend, interpret, and adjust to specific social realities that the show's producers find interesting (Endong, 2014).
According to Roscoe (2015) observed that the traditional lines separating drama from documentary, fact from fiction, and the audience from the text are all blurred in reality TV entertainment.
Andrejevic (2015) claimed that the emphasis placed by reality television on "publicizing the private and intimate" and "therapy and social experimentation for the purpose of diversion" is what distinguishes it from news media. The aforementioned makes it clear that the unscripted aspect of reality television and the way events are permitted to unfold in their purportedly natural surroundings set it apart from entertainment seen in traditional media (Crane, 2014)
A group of people are brought together in a large house, cut off from the outside world, and forced to live together while being constantly monitored by television cameras in the reality television series Big Brother. This idea is taken from George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, Oceania, which is a world of never-ending surveillance. Big Brother, whose scary tagline is "Big Brother is watching you," is the ruler who keeps watch over the people of Oceania. The housebound competitors on the television program Big Brother battle to stay in the house in order to win the cash prize.
Previously known as Big Brother Nigeria, Big Brother Naija is a reality television competition series based in Nigeria that features 12 to 15 contestants living in a remote house. The goal of the show is for the contestants to stay in the house and avoid being evicted by viewers in order to win a substantial cash prize worth millions of naira at the end. Big Brother Africa is thought to watch by around forty million people (40,000,000). The most vibrant and gifted roommates the program has ever seen were introduced with more swag at the start of the episode. There were one hundred and twenty microphones and fifty four additional cameras. Like every other Big Brother format, BBN has been involved in controversy with a number of topics, including violence, sex, nudity, cheating, and unfair voting which has negatively influenced it viewers negatively. From March 5 to June 4, 2006, the first season aired on television. The second season began airing on January 28, 2018, the fourth season on September 19, 2019, and the fifth season on July 19, 2020.
The popularity of the Big Brother reality show has remained steady while also growing, especially among young people. This is true even though the program has received criticism over the years for using profanity and offensive language in sequences that are deemed culturally sensitive. Following this logic, Ojoko (2013) contends that the Big Brother reality show has undoubtedly caused a lot of controversy recently. It's important to highlight that the show's organizers and sponsors are essentially faceless and that it presents a low moral standard which has negatively impacted on teenagers and youths upbringing in and outside Nigeria.
The level of immorality being celebrated by Big Brother Naija Reality Television Show is adjudged as lacking proper moral upbringing of youths (Laitto, 2015), yet, the Nigerian audience especially the youths have continued to imbibe the style of the programme and the participants have suddenly turned to celebrities inrespective of their waywardness and immoral act during the show. This has prompted multiple requests for its restriction and prohibition. For example, the Nigerian House of Representatives ordered the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to stop showing any explicit or pornographic footage from the Big Brother Naija reality show in 2016 (Ralvy, 2016). The reality show has neither reduced viewer traffic or modified its moral tone in spite of these protests, moral panics, and detrimental effects on Nigerian young. Furthermore, it was anticipated that 30 million people watched "Big Brother Naija" in 2020 and that the majority of those viewers were young people. This suggests that there is a significant youth following because the reality program appears to have a long-lasting negative effect on their upbringing(youths), particularly on students. A number of other show elements have also sparked controversy, including the claims that the winners were predetermined, the show's nude portions (such as the shower hour), and acts that were judged to be morally repugnant and sexually graphic. This has sparked discussion over the show's suitability, particularly for viewers with highly impressionable minds, and how much exposure to the program affects moral upbringing of the youths.
But the BBN program has also received recognition for fostering fresh relationships amongst seemingly unrelated individuals. According to Bignell (2015), another reason why BBN is appealing is that it is an African-originated program, meaning that its news agenda is different from the typical European ones, which focus on natural disasters and wars. Additionally, Big Brother has drawn a great deal of scholarly attention. However, the research examined how a controversial reality television show like Big Brother Africa has influenced the moral upbringing of youths in Makrudi.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Reality TV is a major force in television entertainment, and it's claimed that it costs less to create and attracts larger audiences than traditional programming. Some of these shows, meanwhile, don't seem to be really grounded in reality. It is still true that reality TV programming affects viewers and participants in both positive and negative ways.
Though on the surface these programs offer the idea that shows are unscripted and genuine, Big Brother reality show is not an exception when it comes to the issues or detrimental impacts of reality shows. The reality, however, is much less glamorous: the majority of reality shows follow strict scripts and regulations. Situations and stories are created beforehand. The program frequently highlights cruelty, greed, dishonesty, showing housemates' private shower scenes, and other undesirable personality qualities on competitive stages which negatively influence moral upbringing of youths in Makurdi and Nigeria at Large.
Based on this, the study examines whether Big Brother Africa reality TV show has an influence on the moral upbringing of youths using residents of Makrudi as respondents of the study.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
This study was designed to examine influence of big brother naija television reality show on moral upbringing of youth in makurdi Benue state objectives are:
1) To outline the disadvantages of Television reality shows towards morality among youths in Makrudi
2) To examine the relationship between bigbrother television show and morality of yOuths in Makurdi
3)To examine the influence of Bigbrother reality tv show on moral upbringing of youths
4)To find out the youths reaction to the alleged ‘immoral’ content of the programme.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1) What are the disadvantages of Television reality shows towards morality among youths in Makrudi?
2) what is the relationship between bigbrother television show and morality of youths in Makurdi?
3) What is the influence of Bigbrother reality tv show on moral upbringing of youths?
4) To find out the Youths reaction to the alleged ‘immoral’ content of the programme?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
As mentioned in the above discussion, reality television has emerged as a strong competitor for traditional programming in the television arena. This is evident from the many reality shows being broadcast on Digital satellite television (Dstv) such as Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, On Site and Pop Idols. The fact that these shows are scheduled for prime time broadcast also supports the prominence and popularity of reality television shows. Not only is the genre very popular among its target audience, but low production costs also contribute to making reality television the genre of choice for production companies and broadcasters.
The findings of this study will lay a foundation for further research on the effects of reality television programs or viewership on the Nigerian society, youths especially. Although not much study has been done on the influence of Big Brother Naija on moral upbringing of youths, this paper presents an up-to-date empirical analysis of the aforementioned and made use of Makurdi residents as samples for generalization.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study is delimited to influence of Bigbrother naija on moral upbringing of youths.The scope of the study was limited to residents of Makrudi.
Due to time factor, all residents could not be studied in all and that is why the scope was narrowed down to selected resdients.
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The Researcher is likely to encounter certain problems in the course of conducting the research work, some of which may be
Financial Constraint: A good and successful research project will involve various activities and processes, it will require sufficient finances. However, due to the researcher's limited financial means, this research project may run into financial difficulties.
Time Constraint: The institution has set a time restriction for the research work; nevertheless, this time limit may not be sufficient for the research job to be completed, limiting the breadth of the research.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
Youth: youth is best understood as a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood. According to the Africa Youth Charter, youth means ―every person between the ages of 15 and 35 years‖.
Television: Television (TV) is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images accompanied by sound and sometimes text.
Reality Television: Reality TV is a type of television which aims to show how ordinary people behave in everyday life, or in situations, often created by the program makers, which are intended to be like everyday life.
Television viewership: this refers to the extent at which people watch television or a Television program.
Television Audience/ viewers: refers the audiences of a television program or station.
Influence: the power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone. In respect to this study, influence can be seen as the power Big Brother Africa TV show has on youths.
Big Brother Africa: is the African version of the Big Brother game show also known as BBN.
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