THE EFFECT OF FOREIGN HOME VIDEO FILMS ON NIGERIAN TEENAGERS

Everyone lives in a different reality that is why people enjoy watching movies. It gives the insight into the worlds of others. It combines pictures and sound to create a lasting impression. A film can rise above the limitation of Language and cultural barriers by the power of its visual images. No wonder of all media of mass communication, the motion pictures is perhaps universal. Film Directors strives to portray their character’s lives as believable as possible. Many help set up the authenticity with costume and such since its introduction to America and the world, film has become one of the most important and popular cultural medium ever.

Soon after Sony of Japan made the first home video in 1975, the new technology found its way into Nigeria. It is hardly surprising, since Nigerians are known to be great users of mass communication technology, owing and consuming more media messages than all of black African combined (Salama, 1978). Today, less than four decades after its invention, home video has become a regular feature of middle class homes even in urban areas in Nigeria. This follows a well-known pattern that mass media are both elitist and urban based in most of the developing countries.

 Consequently, Many non  -working class, especially youths have embraced home video as a favorite source of entertainment and become addicted to the new technology because it afford them to select their own material and choose their viewing time, more privacy is afforded, hence they watch film alone or with their peer when adult are away from home.