ABSTRACT
Nigerian citizens’ morality is threatened by the increasing distribution of content as a result of licensing broadcasters on a variety of television channels. Citizens are exposed to content that is broadcast in an uncontrolled environment with modern television sets. The citizen’s morality is threatened by many factors such as his/her immediate environment, media education and available information. It is, therefore, necessary that this threat is brought to light. This research aimed at assessing the impact of media education on the morality of the residents in Uyo Urban, a case study of Esa Iban tv program broadcasted by Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC). The study had three specific objectives: to establish the influence of media education with emphasis on local television Esa Iban content on the morality of Uyo residents; to establish the influence of the length of exposure time to television on the morality of Uyo residents; and ascertain how television programs Uyo residents are exposed to influence their morality. A descriptive exploratory study was used to achieve the three objectives. The study was conducted in Uyo Lga of Akwa Ibom state. The target population was made up of the 338 Uyo residents in residential areas in Uyo Lga. Stratified random sampling was used to obtain the target sample of 78 residents in Uyo. Those who actually participated in the research were 60 youths and 60 parents making a response rate of 76.9 percent. Data were collected by use of questionnaires for Uyo residents. Analysis of the data was done using graphical presentations, mean, percentages and regression. The analysis established that television content influence the morality of a Uyo residents who are exposed to it. Television exposure time also influenced the morality of Uyo residents. Thirdly, the study also established that television program types influence the morality of Uyo residents. This study recommends a national policy be put in place to guide television program transmitters regarding how they can make programs that bear in mind the needs of Uyo residents. AKBC staff and broadcasters should team up to develop more programs that will keep Uyo residents constantly educated and enhance good moral conduct among residents in Uyo.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
According to Crosbie (2012), television refers to a communication channel in which information is sent to a large number of people or to the mass of people. Bennet (2012) not only means the term “crowd” of a large number of people because it is not easy to tell when a group of people is growing, but the term refers to an undifferentiated audience. The way television communicates evolves as technology advances.
However, television is part of the media. The media are divided into three categories: press media; Radio and television; and the Internet. The press media include newspapers and magazines. The radio and television category also includes movies. The Internet is becoming more powerful due to its ability to carry all other media (Crosbie, 2012).
The term “morality” is not easy to define. According to Frankena (2018), it is difficult to distinguish between what is moral and what is not. Gert (2012) notes that the term “morality” descriptively refers to certain codes of conduct proposed by society or another group, such as religion. It also refers to a code of conduct that a person has adopted for his or her own behavior. The term can normatively refer to codes of conduct that all rational people propose in certain circumstances.
According to Wiredu (2012), morality is universal and necessary for human culture. People follow rules to align the interests of the individual with other interests in society. Morality means both meeting the requirements of harmony of interests and meeting those requirements, even if this means limiting one’s own interests.
