CULTURAL DOMINATION AND INDOCTRINATION THROUGH TELEVISION

CULTURAL DOMINATION AND INDOCTRINATION THROUGH TELEVISION

            CHAPTER ONE

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

• INTRODUCTION

There has been this debate about the dysfunctions of television on the society. It is argued that television as a mass medium plays an overwhelming role in cultural dominations and indoctrination.

These questions among others are what this study will attempt to find answer to.

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Some area sin Akwa Ibom State have been carefully chosen for the study of adverse impact that television has extended on the culture disposition of Nigerian.

According to Mboho (quoted in Umoh, 1991) empirical view points has that communicationon (including broad casting) can lead to reinforcement or conversion t major or major adjustment of attitude to long-term or short term effects and to those unintended as well as intended. In his book, the process and effect of mass communication, Harold Lasswell (1948) discuss three major mass communication functions in the society, surveillance, correlation and transmission of social heritage.

Surveillance relates to the routine survey of environment to alert the society of dangers to its existence. Through this activity members of the society are made to be well as distant ones. The media by surveying the environment are bale to provide members of the public with a morass of information to make them adopt properly to their surroundings.

Correlation as the second function deals mainly with interpretation of issues and events in the environment so that they are better understood, thus facilitating agreement on the vagaries of environmental problems to ensure a continue survival of the society, its members must have  shared value and must agree on what beliefs and roles that are appropriate to the society.

In addition to the three functions Wright (has added a fourth dimension-entertainment. This implies the provision of awareness for recreation and relegation.

Although the usefulness of these function of information, education and entertainment can not be lost on the society. Obviously, Charles Wright (1975) has raised a number of questions worth nothing, “does this practice unity the society by giving it a broader base of common norms, values collective experiences shared by its members? And of so, what extent? Or does a lot of use cultural variety and creativity result form the transmission of a standardized view of culture? This issues has been a major  source of interest to the media sociologist and media scholars alike.

1.2    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

Since television is capable of accusing cultural domination and indoctrination, it is pertinent to investigate the extent and how this has caused in the case of Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket which are he primary coverage area of the Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Television Service. It is believed in some quarter that some programmes by the station have caused foreign cultures to dominate and indoctrinate the societies of Uyo, Ikot  Ekpene and Eket.

This development, some believed has threatened the cultural standards of the people of the area. The question therefore is Do television stations in Nigeria present culturally balanced programmes? Have the programmes indigenous cultures? To what extent and how has this occurred?

These pertinent questions are going to be tested with references to AKBC-TV channel 45, Uyo.

1.3    DELIMITATION/SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study is mainly concerned with the cultural domination and indoctrination through television whether or not Nigeria has been culturally dominated and indoctrinated through television. This is the focus of this research.

Information about the type of programme aired will be given as it pertains to cultural domination and indoctrination.

The study furthermore, will be conducted with references to AKBC-TV in relation to their coverage of Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket.

1.4    PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is as follows

1. To find out whether television plays a major role in cultural domination and indoctrination in Nigeria?
2. To determine whether there are more foreign programmes than local ones in AKBC-TV?
3. To ascertain the extent to which cultural domination and indoctrination are being re-enforced through TV

1.5    RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study ask the following questions

1. Does AKBC-TV play a major role in cultural domination and indoctrination in Nigeria?
2. Are there more foreign programmes than local ones in AKBC-TV?

• To what extent is cultural domination and indoctrination re-enforced in AKBC-TV?

1.6    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study aims to bring to fore the nature of cultural products (programmes) dished out by our local television stations to the homes of unwary viewers.

Furthermore, it will illuminate the claims that television helps in fostering dependency and dominance of alien values over indigenous ones. The result of the study may lead to a better and carefully balanced programmes presentation by our television station.

1.7    DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms are defined as they are used in the study

Culture: It is that whole which include the mental training and development, civilization, knowledge and belief, art, law, moral, custom and all others habits and trait acquired by the member of the pubic.