Abstract
The technological breakthrough of web 2.0 revolutionized
communication channels, increasing information traffic from source to sender
and vice versa. Media convergence is one of the many outcomes of this
technological revolution whereby traditional media and the internet merge to
disseminate information to audience. However, news preferences seem to relegate
different audience demographics to particular channels of communication. This
study which analyzed the most preferred medium for news consumption in Enugu
between the broadcast media and social media was anchored on the Uses and
Gratification theory as well as Choice theory. The study was based on survey
research method which involved the use of multistage sampling technique to
distribute 384 copies of the questionnaire to residents in Enugu state. Data
retrieved were analyzed using descriptive technique including percentages,
frequencies, and bar chart. The results of the research found that people of
Enugu state were largely exposed to broadcast media and social media and these
media were used to by the residents of Enugu state to a high extent. Broadcast
media was chosen to be more credible than social media. The most preferred news
media for the people of Enugu state was the broadcast media for mostly reasons
of its news credibility, reliability and currency.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Mass media play crucial roles in the connection of individuals and its success is enabled through the dissemination of news. While the focus of this research study is the preference of news in Enugu which further now compares the Broadcast media and social media news consumption, Encarta, (2009) cited in Ekwueme and Akpan, (2011) explains that broadcasting is the primary means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public in virtually every nation around the world.
Similarly, Bolalek,
(2013) opines that not only are social media beneficial for creating and
maintaining social relationships but also, because of their popularity, social
media have become a way to access news. News organizations and journalists now
participate in sharing the news via social media.
It is generally said
that if a news report provides answers to six questions, then it should be
considered a news item. These six questions include five Ws and H: Who, What,
When, Where, Why and How? According to
Williams, (1899) if ‘A dog bites a man’-that’s a story; but if ‘A man bites a
dog’ –that’s a good news. This is true
in the real sense but suppose a dog bites the president of a country, it most
certainly makes big news. In this context, therefore, the understanding of news
becomes an obvious imperative to give clarity to how Journalists and News Anchors
gather and process news. National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Code, (2016)
defines news as a truthful account of an event that assists the recipient live
in a complex, dynamic and humane society.
Despite the criteria
stipulated that a news item should possess, the importance of whom the news is
gathered for should be in consideration. The mass media audience is heterogeneous
and as such respond to media messages differently. This has further led
individuals into vying into different sources in search of news they prefer
that best suits them. This is in accordance with Olorunnisola, (2009) cited in
Ojebuyi, (2013), who states that given the new trend of growing competition
occasioned by liberalization of the media and communication industries and
emergence of new media, the media audience now have greater freedom and a wide
range of alternatives from where to get information about events that affects
their lives.
According to NBC,
(1996) audience research intervals to ascertain the taste and preference of the
audience and it is therefore unwise for broadcasters arrogating to themselves
the knowledge of the audience’s taste and preference to media content based on
simple assumption.
This
study, wishes to explore the channels through which news is consumed by
audience and the most preferred channel of news consumption from the various
mediums at the audiences reach. The
traditional channels of news are the television and radio. In recent times,
social media has also come into limelight which houses news and entertainment
disseminating platforms like facebook, twitter, instagram, whatsappe.t.c. Ojebuyi, (2013) argues that Radio no doubt,
has unparalleled capacity to reach the mass audience at a relatively cheaper
cost and within a short time. This is against television which is the most
expensive medium of mass communication but has an attractive motion picture
inclined potential Esan, (2009). Television has the advantage of using a
combination of sight through pictures, hearing, through sound which aids in
attracting its audience unlike radio with sounds alone. These are notable attributes as to why some
people prefer or are against the traditional radio and television to social
media and vice versa.
Opinions
differ in this context as (Ha, Yoon, & Zhang, 2013, p. 2) argue that news
consumption behavior of Social media users is a salient research topic in
online social media studies because the characteristics of Social network sites
such as feedback, instantaneousness and connectedness are powerful advantages
as a news medium.
Despite the seeming challenges and gallops this social media is
beginning to create, one cannot help but to observe that in order for the
traditional media to keep up with the new age, it has practiced ‘media
convergence’ in some areas of news dissemination. Flew (2017) describes it is a
phenomenon involving an interconnection of information and communications
technologies, computer networks and media contents. Flatzer, (2013) argues that
with the rapid proliferation of internet based services, especially with social
media and wireless communication and introduction of web 2.0 sites, the
convergence phenomenon has attracted more attention since the 21st
century. The digitization of media content and popularization of the internet
is encouraged and adopted by the traditional broadcast media to keep up with
the pace of the transforming news times.
Even
with these changes, the big question remains why some audiences prefer
broadcast media to social media for their news consumption and vice versa. This
work therefore, sought to analyze the news consumption habits of the people of
Enugu state to discover what news channel between the broadcast and social
media platform is mostly preferred.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The emergence of
internet technology and social media has posed tremendous challenges on the
kind of news medium mostly preferred by the news consumers. Similarly, it has
become imperative to examine the traditional media and social media for news
consumption in order to ascertain which is mostly preferred by the mass
audience.
Furthermore, some factors
like the convenience, cost, credibility, quick access and instantaneousness in
the aspect of feedback of the broadcast and social media sources all act as
reasons as to why news consumers prefer certain sources over others. It has
been observed that most news materials derived from, television and radio are
further restructured to the taste of the retriever and then disseminated to the
online audience who nowadays find it easier to subscribe to social media
application like twitter, facebook, instagram and whatsapp for news materials.
But then again most of the social media develop their own content. (Pew Research
Center, 2010a) cited in Ha et al. (2013) agrees with the above when they
described social media as a news portal for its users because the users are
constantly participating in the production and consumption of news through this
medium.
The broadcast media and social media
are now in competition for which serves better and is mostly used by news
consumers. Hence, this study sought to discover the news medium mostly
preferred in Enugu state by comparatively analyzing the broadcast media and
social media used for news consumption.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main
purpose of this study will be to compare broadcast media and social media news
preference and consumption in Enugu State.
Specifically other objectives of this study
were to:
- Ascertain
the extent to which the people of Enugu State have access to broadcast &
social media news content.
- Find out
the extent to which they use these media for their news consumption.
- Find out
the level of credibility in the news contents derived from these sources.
- Identify
the most preferred media for news consumption.
1.4 Research Questions
- What is the extent to which the people of
Enugu State have access to broadcast & social media news content?
- What is the extent to which they use these
media for their news consumption?
- What is the level of credibility in the news
contents derived from these sources?
- What is the most preferred media for news
consumption?
1.5 Scope of the study
This research study is limited in scope and content. It takes a look at the news preference in Enugu state and comparatively analyzes traditional broadcast media and social media news consumption. This research study is to use Enugu metropolis as the focus.
1.6
Significance of the Study
This research will provide a valuable base for theory, research and practice. The findings are expected to support previous theories and premises in the area of news preference and the sources of news consumption.
It will educate the Nigerian
general public on the widely preferred news medium in Enugu state through a
critical comparative analysis of the traditional broadcast media which
comprises of radio and television news reception and the modern day social
media news consumption.
The research work will as
well serve as a resource base to other scholars and researchers interested in
carrying out further research in this field.
1.7 Operational Definitions of Terms
News: newly received information about a recently changed situation or
events in the country or the world.
Preference: strong liking or a predisposition in favor of something. It is also
the right to choose or grant favor over other news sources.
Comparative Analysis: is a research methodology employed for both
quantitative and qualitative research studiesin social sciences that aim to
make comparisons across different thematic issues.
Broadcast Media: radio and television devices used in
transmitting informative contents to a mass audience.
Social Media: websites and applications that enable users to
create and share content or to participate
in social networking
News .Consumption:
the reception and utilization of news material
News Preference: audience news choice or ability to select what kind of news or news medium to expose themselves.
NEWS PREFERENCE: AN ANALYSIS OF BROADCAST MEDIA & SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS CONSUMPTION
