i

IMPACT OF BIG BROTHER NAIJA REALITY TV SHOW ON THE

MORALVALUES OF STUDENTS IN THE SOCIETY.
(A CASE STUDY OF CALEB UNIVERSITY)

BY:

……….

A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARMENT OF MASS

COMMUNICATION, COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT
SCIENCES, CALEB UNIVERSITY, IMOTA, LAGOS STATE, IN PARTIAL
FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (B.S.C. HONS) DEGREE IN MASS
COMMUNICATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

1.2 Statement of the Problem

1.3 Objective of the Study

1.4 Research Questions

1.5 Scope of the Study

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1.6 Significance of the Study

1.7 Definition of Terms

CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Theoretical Framework

2.2 Literature Review

2.3 Empirical Review

2.4 Gaps in Literature

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CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction.

3.2 Research Design

3.3 Population of the Study

3.4 Sample Technique and Sample Size

3.5 Source of Data

3.6 Data Collection Instrument

3.7Instrumentation of Validation and

Reliability

3.8 Method of Data Analysis

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND

INTERPRETATION
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Presentation of Data
4.3 Discussion of Findings
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary of Findings
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendation
5.4 Area for Further Research

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 ABSTRACT
Over the past decades, reality TV show has been the hallmark of entertainment for
people in the society. The genre allows the audience to view the lives of other people and
how they behave behind closed doors. Since its emergence, many reality TV programs
such as Big Brother, American Idol, and MTN Project fame have rocked the airwaves for
so many years. Recently the Big Brother franchise have been the most viewed reality TV
show across the planet and has expanded into various countries including Nigeria.
Unfortunately, the Big Brother Naija reality show have been of serious concern to the
public. This is because the content of the show has been seen by several quarters, to
project immorality and violence, which are against the cultural and moral values of the
Nigerian society. This study aims to examine the impact of the Big Brother Naija show
on the moral values of students in the society. The study used the survey research method
and questionnaire as an instrument of data collection. The study discovered that 90% of
the students in Caleb University like the show regardless of its content. The study also
discovered that the show has a way of making students crave for fame and material
wealth, by all means, as they watch the life of the contestants change after the show due
to their newfound fame. The study discovered that the show has more of a negative than
positive impact on students in the society and students according to the social cognitive
and use and gratification theory, learns from the reality TV show and use it as it pleases
them. According to the study, some section of the respondents believe that the show is
nothing but a social experiment that is meant to entertain its viewers and thus does not
have any serious moral implications. The study recommends that the broadcast media
regulate the content of the show and parents should play an important role in ensuring
that the moral and cultural values are maintained in the society, especially among the
youths.

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND STUDY

Big Brother is a Dutch reality competition television franchise created by John
De Mol Jr, which was first launched in the Netherlands in 1999. According to
Chikafa & Mateveke (2012) the concept of big brother was borrowed from
George
Orwell’s novel “1984”, which talked about the fictional dystopia of Oceania with
its theme of continuous oppressive surveillance. The dictator who watches over
the citizens of Oceania is Big Brother, whose terrifying slogan is “Big Brother is
watching you1. Through this, the Big Brother reality show came into existence and
has become an international franchise that has been expanded from 1999 till
date. Countries like the United States of America, Canada, and United Kingdom
had its own variations of the show but were quite similar to each other. In the
year 2003, Big Brother Africa was formed until its final edition 2014. In 2006, Big
Brother Naija edition started to its latest edition in 2019.
From a sociological and demographic perspective, Big Brother allows an analysis
of how people react when forced into close confinement with people outside of
their comfort zone (having different opinions or ideals, or from a different
socioeconomic group). The viewer has the opportunity to see how a person reacts
from the outside (through the constant recording of their actions) and the inside
(in the Diary or Confession Room). The Diary Room is where contestants can
privately express their feelings about the game, strategy and the other
contestants. The results range from violent or angry confrontations to genuine
and tender connections (often including romantic interludes).
In recent times, the Big Brother Naija franchise has had a great influence on
people as they always love to watch and observe what goes on between the
contestants of the show and also seen as a means of gaining popularity and
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money. But unfortunately, the shows immoral acts which are widely accepted by

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people especially students in various institutions and seen as role models in the
society. This study is sought to examine the influence of the reality show on the
moral values on students in the society in relation to how the mass and social
media play a significant role in this.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

With the advent of the broadcast and social media, many of our youths are being
influenced and attracted with the happenings and lifestyle of people (celebrities)
in the society. Unfortunately, most of our students in various institutions are
exposed to many social vices and have become products of what they watch on
television and their engagements in social media. The impact of the big brother
reality show reflects on the communication pattern and behavior of students and
has attracted the attention of so many intelligent people all over the world and
calls for real academic debates and scholarly studies. According to an article
published on the vanguard newspaper on august 25th 2019, Nigerians gave their
complaints (most especially sex plays) about the happening in the show. They
stated that it would plant immoral values in mostly the children and the youths
and not adding any value to the society. Reasoning along this line, Ojoko (2013)
writes that Big Brother reality show has no doubt generated a lot of controversies
in recent times, and worthy of note that the sponsors or organizers are near
faceless, and the show exhibits low moral values and falls short of what is
expected in these days where clamor for the good days when cultural and good
moral values was at its peak2.
This study is to determine if the contents of the show are being regulated and the
moral values of students in various institutions still maintained.

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1.3 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
The general objective of this project is to show the impact of Big Brother Naija TV
reality show particularly on the students of Caleb University, Imota, Nigeria and
how their moral values have been affected. The specific objectives are:

 Discover its impact on the society especially among students of

Caleb University
 Determine how many students in Caleb University view the reality TV
show and its contents.
 Evaluate the views and opinions that students of Caleb University
have towards the show
 To determine whether or not the reality should be banned or regulated

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In order to achieve the objectives of this work, the following questions were
generated.
 What makes the reality TV show to attract viewership from students
of Caleb University and how often do they watch it?

 Do students of Caleb University see the contestants of the reality TV

show as role models in the society?

 Is the reality show a means of contributing value or harm to the society?

 Is there any real life encounters experienced by students of

Caleb University through their exposure to the reality TV show?

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study is to examine the impact of Big Brother Naija reality show
on the moral values of students. Students from the various colleges (CASMAS,
COPAS, COLENSMA) from 100 to 400 level will be used for this study. Students
from postgraduate college and staffs of the school will be exempted from this

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study .The research choice of the various colleges above is derived from the
relationship of the reality TV show and their courses and therefore in a better
position to provide relevant and correct answers to questions raised in the
questionnaire.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is of utmost importance to students as well as the society. According to
Desiderius Erasmus (ND), “The main hope of any nation lies in the proper
education of its youths”3. Hence, parents should be responsible for the upbringing
and training of children and their exposure to programmes that do not impact
them positively.
Also, this study will help broadcast media houses and social media platforms to
regulate the kind of programmes being aired or streamed to the public. For
broadcast media houses, it will also help in scheduling of programs and know the
nature of the programme to be televised.
Furthermore, academic scholars will benefit from the findings of this research, as
it will serve as a literature for both scholars and students of mass
communication who might want to take on related or similar research in future.

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1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
IMPACT: This has to do with a marked effect or influence on an individual or
group of people. Here, the study examines the effect of the programme content
on the audience.

BIG BROTHER NAIJA: a reality show based on the Big Brother TV series. Here
the study examines the content of the reality show.

MORAL: This has to deal with the principles of right and wrong behaviors and
manifesting high principles for proper conduct. Here, the study helps to examine
the moral standards among students in this research.

VALUES: According to this study, value has to deal with importance, worth and
usefulness of something. It also deals with the principles or standards of one’s
behavior. Here the study helps to examine the values of students and if the reality
show is helping or destroying the society.

SOCIETY: According to this study, society has to deal with the aggregate of
people living together in a more ordered community. The study helps to examine
the standards and principles used in maintaining the society and if the reality
show adheres to such principles.

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 CHAPTER 2
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
This chapter provides an in-depth review of relevant literature on the research
study. Hence, the chapter covers the theoretical framework, which includes a
critical review of related theories, review of literature, which focuses on
conceptualization of key variables and terminologies related to the study, and the
empirical framework entails the conclusions drawn by previous researchers as it
relates to the present research study.

2.1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1.1 SOCIAL COGNITIVE/LEARNING THEORY
The social-cognitive theory formerly known as social learning theory is a
theoretical perspective in which learning by observing others is the focus of study.
The social learning theory was developed into the Social Cognitive Theory in 1986
and posits that learning occurs in a social context with a dynamic and reciprocal
interaction of the person, environment, and behavior.

The theory was first originated by “Edwin B. Holt and Harold Chapman Brown's"
1931 book that featured the psychological needs of animals, for example feeling,
emotion, and desire. This theory essentially shows the behaviors of humans
through close observation. These learned behaviors can be central to one’s
personality. While social psychologists agree that environment in which one grows
up contributes to behavior, the individual person.
Another theorist "Neal E. Miller and John dollard" in their book "Social Learning
and Imitation (1941) and Personality and Psychotherapy (1950)" suggested that
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behavior patterns were produced through the modification of biologically or
socially derived drives by conditioning and reinforcement. They also combined
psychoanalytical theory with behaviorism, trying to scientifically explain"
Freudian" ideas of inner drives that motivate and influence human behavior.
In the year 1960, renowned Stanford psychology professor, Albert Bandura, gave a
perfect example on the social cognitive theory. Bandura, along with his colleagues,
initiated a series of well-known studies on observational learning called the Bobo
Doll experiments. In the first of these experiments, pre-school children were
exposed to an aggressive or nonaggressive adult model to see if they would imitate
the model’s behavior. The gender of the model was also varied, with some children
observing same-sex models and some observing opposite-sex models. The
researchers found that the children in the aggressive condition were much more
likely to display verbal and physical aggression, including aggression towards the
Bobo doll and other forms of aggression. In addition, boys were more likely to be
aggressive than girls, especially if they had been exposed to an aggressive male
model.
The unique feature of the social cognitive theory is the emphasis on social
influence and its emphasis on external and internal social reinforcement. It
considers the unique way in which individuals acquire and maintain behavior,
while also considering the social environment in which individuals perform the
behavior. The theory takes into account a person's past experiences, which factor
into whether behavioral action will occur. These past experiences influences
reinforcements, expectations, and expectancies, all of which shape whether a
person will engage in a specific behavior and the reasons why a person engages
in that behavior.

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2.1.2 USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY

The Uses and Gratification theory discusses the effects of the media on people. It
explains how people use the media for their own need and get satisfied when
their needs are fulfilled. In other words, it can be said that the theory argues what
people do with media rather than what media does to people.
According to Reinhard & Brenda (2009), the most fundamental conception of
media audience uses and gratifications came from Elihu Katz, who penned the
term Uses-andGratifications Approach in 1959. Katz, a media research pioneer
and one of the many scholars who have attempted to find elusive media impacts,
in 1959 Katz called for research to no longer focus solely on ―what media do to
people‖ but instead to concern itself with ―what people do with … media‖. The
turn toward audiences in this way was in actuality one of the first turns toward
looking at media-audience relationship as a communication relationship rather
than merely a transmission relationship. The focus in the various approaches to
looking at effects assumed that media were transmitting particular meanings in
their messages and that audiences were passive recipients of these messages, for
good or for bad.
In contrast, the uses-and-gratifications turn toward audiences was opening the
door to a larger question. Media institutions were no longer seen as the sole
source of determining the meanings of media messages. Rather, audiences were
proposed as having independent roles. In the media effects paradigm, it was
assumed that there was only one way—the producer's way—of making sense of a
movie or hearing a song or understanding a story. Furthermore, it was assumed
that there was only one way media could be used—in the way media producers
predicted it would be used. In contrast, the foundational assumption of the uses-
and-gratifications approach was that audience members have some degree of
independent control over what they get out of media and how they use what they
get.
Since these earliest formulations and continuing till today, the many
researchers working in the uses-and-gratifications tradition have adhered to a

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central set of core assumptions. These have been discussed in a wide variety of
ways but can be summarized as involving five essential propositions:
 Audiences are actively selecting from different media;
 Audience media selection is goal directed;
 The media and other potential sources compete for audience attention;
 Personal, social, and contextual worlds mediate audience activity; and
 The uses people make of media and the effects media have on people are
interconnected. For example, what is meant by channel in one line of work
may be described as technology or medium in another. Across many
studies, the possibilities have included channels, mediums, technologies,
genres, texts, and content. Channels, mediums, and technologies are often
used interchangeably and refer to distinctions such as television, film,
radio, newspapers, book, cell phones, the Internet, or sometimes a specific
television station, cable network, or magazine. Genre is an often
overlapping term but usually refers to classes of selections within a
medium, such as soap operas, video games, or television news. Texts
usually refer to specific content packages, such as a particular movie, game,
or news article.
According to Williams (2003), there are several versions of the uses and
gratifications theory, but three basic assumptions form the core of this theory.
Firstly, viewers are seen as active participants who use the media for their own
individual purposes; secondly, viewers can identify these purposes and know how
to express them. The third assumption acknowledges not only that variations do
exist between the individuals‘ use of the media, but also that it is possible to
identify basic patterns and habits in uses and gratifications (Williams 2003:177).
The uses and gratifications theory also distinguishes between expected
gratifications sought before media exposure and the actual gratifications obtained
after media exposure

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2.1.3 Application of Theory in Management/Limitations
Social cognitive theory also describes how individuals learn on their own.
This occurs when individuals display self-control: they learn a behavior even when
there is no external reinforcement telling them they should.
Learning from others is known as vicarious learning. This is the process by
which someone acquires behaviors or skills from someone else by watching their
actions closely. The learner observes how the model acts and what the results of
the model’s actions are. In an appropriate situation, the learner will then attempt
to imitate the behavior.
The application of this theory comes in play in different aspects of life. In
school, for example, teachers have the challenge of improving the academic
learning and confidence of the students in their charge. Using social cognitive
theory as a framework, teachers can work to improve their students’ emotional
states and to correct their faulty self-beliefs and habits of thinking (personal
factors), improve their academic skills and self-regulatory practices (behavior),
and alter the school and classroom structures that may work to undermine
student success (environmental factors). Another application of the theory is
Self-efficacy .Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in his or her capacity to
execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments
(Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997). Self-efficacy is an important part of social cognitive
theory. In the case of an organization, employees who believe they will be able to
do something successfully often go on to be successful at the activity in question.
Employees should be rewarded for displaying self-control, and managers should
step back in such instances.
The use and gratification theory focuses on free will of audience and is
deterministic as media can be used in different ways and for different purposes.
This theory assumes that there is nothing as an absolute truth. The audience is
said to have full control over the effect of media on them as the effect can be
chosen by the audience themselves. The theory is closely related to human
psychology of needs, motives and influence.

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Some of the application of the theory include:
Affective needs
Affective needs talk about emotional fulfillment and pleasure people get by
watching soap operas, series on television and movies. People relate to the
character and feel the emotions the characters show. If they cry, the audience cry
and if they laugh, audience laugh along with them.
Cognitive needs
People use media to get information and fulfill their mental and intellectual
needs. People watch news mostly to gratify this need. Other examples can be
quiz programs, teaching programs, arts and crafts programs for children,
documentaries, how-to videos (DIYs), etc. Online media, Internet, is also being
used to get information to get this need fulfilled.
Social integrative needs
The need of each person to socialize with people like family and friends is social
integrative need. People use media to socialize and interact through social
networking sites like Facebook, My Space, Twitter, etc. People also use media to
increase their social interactions by getting topics to talk with the near and dear
ones. Media also helps by providing people with topics and ideas to talk/discuss
with their friends and near ones, increasing their social interaction skills.
Personal integrative needs
Personal integrative needs are the needs for self-esteem and respect. People
need reassurance to establish their status, credibility, strength, power, etc. which
is done with the use of media. They use media to watch advertisements and
know which products are in fashion and shop accordingly to change their lifestyle
and fit in with other people.

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2.1.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE THEORIES
SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY
Loosely Structured
Because social cognitive theory is so broad, it has been criticized for lacking any
one unifying principle or structure. People are viewed as so dynamic that it is
difficult to implement the theory in its entirety. Instead, implementation is likely
to focus on one or two concepts, such as self-efficacy.

Minimizes Emotional Responses

According to Albert Bandura, behavior is largely learned. However, evolutionary
psychologists such as Stephen Pinker have argued that some behavior is the result
of emotional responses determined largely by biological factors, which are
controlled heavily by evolution, and has little to do with conditioning or
observation. For instance, jealousy can drive one to behave in a way that is not
consistent with one's normal behavior.

Ignores Biological Differences and Hormonal Responses

Social cognitive theory largely ignores the influence of hormones on one's
behavior. Hormones can affect one's decision- making abilities and therefore
change one's behavior. Additionally, social cognitive theory ignores genetic
differences that could lead to disparities between people's cognitive abilities and
behavior.

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USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY
The theory of uses and gratification has some limitations. The theory is highly
individualistic in nature. They theory takes only into consideration personal
psychological satisfaction derived for personal media use. On the other hand, the
theory ignores the media’s social context; for instance, the state, as well as the
environment of media user. In spite of the varied choices available for users, they
possess no control over mass media and what it produces. This implies that what
they get is only prepared by gatekeepers and includes their perception and
influences. Usually, the gatekeepers subtract from, add to, and organize subjects,
stories, and issues without the control of the users.
The theory rejects the traditional approach, which views the media as the
dominating agent that simply manipulates the audience. Media continues to
manipulate how people dress, eat, speak, walk and behave. The theory fails to
recognize these problems; thus, create a huge shortfall. The theory views the
audience to be active rather that passive. The audience has no control of what
they receive from the media. Referring the audience as active is quite irrelevant.
It is not always that the audience uses and accepts the media as suggested by
the theory. The audience never benefits all the time from the media use. The
theory focuses on personal needs and ignores the socio-cultural context. On the
other hand, the audience might not be aware of the reason why they get
associated with some programs. The media may distort personal memories and a
person might not be capable of using the media to gratify any needs indicated by
the theory.

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2.1.5 HOW THEORY RELATES TO STUDY
The theory relates to the study because student's who view Big brother Naija
show have tendencies to act as their favorite contestants and support their ideas
and motions. According to American academy of pediatrics (AAP) 2005
„„Children are influenced by media, they learn by observing, imitating and making
behavior their own”. It is quite depressing to note that since the inception of
reality show, there have been increase incidents of immoral behavior in youths.
According to an interview cited from The Circular.org some of the respondents
stated the show will mostly have negative effects on the younger generation as
they would want to emulate the behavior and happenings that goes on in the
house. Also on the website a young girl named Pamela in the interview stated
that she likes the show but doesn't like the way the contestants argue on silly
things. This is also seen among students who would support their favorite
contestants and also argue against anyone who counters them. In the recent
season of the reality TV show, a fight which occurred between two contestants
namely Mercy Eke and Anita Natacha (also known as Tacha) brought about
serious arguments by fans of each contestants and their opinions also. Students
who view the show always show support and may emulate the lifestyle of the
contestants on the show which the social cognitive theory talks about.
In relation to the uses and gratification theory, students are seen as active
participants who follow every series of the Big Brother Naija show and also
determines which contestant is to be eliminated or win the show through their
votes. According to an article published on pulse.ng, it stated that the show
successfully garnered addicted viewers, who spent hours following the show on
Television and updating their followers on various social media platforms. Most
of these active followers changed their Twitter avatar to reflect their support for
their favorite housemates and because of this, the show was followed by
Nigerians online and offline. It is also interesting to some supporters spew
hateful and mean comments about their least favorite housemates, or their
supporters thereby creating more interactions and controversies about the show

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2.1.6 ISSUES/FACTORS IMPLICATED BY THE THEORY
Triadic Reciprocal Causation
Human behavior has often been explained in terms of one-sided determinism. In
such modes of unidirectional causation, behavior is depicted as being shaped and
controlled by environmental influences or driven by internal dispositions. In
triadic causation there is no fixed pattern for reciprocal interaction. Rather, the
relative contribution of each of the constituent classes of influences depends on
the activities, situational circumstances, and socio-structural constraints and
opportunities. The environment is not a monolithic entity. Social cognitive theory
distinguishes between three types of environmental structures (Bandura, 1997a).
They include the imposed environment, selected environment, and constructed
environment. Gradations of environmental changeability require the exercise of
increasing levels of personal agency. The imposed physical and socio-structural
environment is thrust upon people whether they like it or not. Although they
have little control over its presence, they have leeway in how they construe it and
react to it.
There is a major difference between the potential environment and the
environment people actually experience. For the most part, the environment is
only a potentiality who’s rewarding and punishing aspects do not come into being
until the environment is selectively activated by appropriate courses of action.
Which part of the potential environment becomes the actual experienced
environment thus depends on how people behave. The choice of associates,
activities and milieus constitutes the selected environment. The environments
that are created do not exist as a potentiality waiting to be selected and
activated. Rather, people construct social environments and institutional systems
through their generative efforts. The construal, selection and construction of
environments affect the nature of the reciprocal interplay among personal,
behavioral and environmental factors.

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2.2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.2.1 REALITY TELEVISION

Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents

unscripted situations and actual occurrences, and often features a previously
unknown cast. The genre often highlights personal drama and conflict to a much
greater extent than other unscripted television programs such as documentary
shows. The genre has various standard tropes, such as reality TV confessionals
used by cast members to express their thoughts, which often double as the
shows' narration. In competition-based reality shows, a notable subset, there are
other common elements such as one participant being eliminated per episode, a
panel of judges, and the concept of immunity from elimination (Kilborn, 1994).
Many studies have focused on how television programs that appear to be real
(such as news and daytime dramas) alter the viewers ‘perception of reality (or
social reality). However, recently a new fad in television has surfaced and it
appears to be taking over. Reality television shows are overtaking the networks
leaving behind an even bigger effect than that of regular television.
There are some programs which are very helpful with lots of information for
the viewers for example; Big Brother Naija game show is the reality TV program
under study.
Reality television is a broad category that includes a wide range of programs
aiming to be both factual and entertaining. Graeme Turner (2010) argues that it
‘may well be the most exorbitantly “noticed” form of programming in television’s
history’ (p. 33), and Jon Dovey (2000) calls it the ‘perfect televisual form for the
contemporary cultural moment … [it has become] a crucial component of the
fabric of popular culture’ (p. 78).

Television reviewer Kerrie Murphy has a broader definition. She says reality
TV generally involves filming the actions and reactions of people in a set

17
situation.

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This situation can be a natural one, as in Airports, or it can be completely
contrived, as in Big Brother. Jonathon Bignell defines reality TV as programs
'where the unscripted behavior of ordinary people is the focus of interest'. An
important aspect is the comprehensive monitoring of everyday behavior. The
boundaries to the reality television genre are blurred. Some programs, such as Big
Brother, are like sitcoms. Contestants are trapped together under one roof in the
same way as characters in a flat-share sitcom. Others, such as Border Security
(2006) or Airport, are more like soap operas or dramas. Some reality programs
resemble documentaries while others have characteristics in common with talk
shows or game shows, such as Nigerian Idol, American Got Talent etc. Another
important factor that separates reality television from other genres is that it's
based on real-life contestants is the focus on their private thoughts and reactions
to the situations.

2.2.2 BREIF HISTORY ON REALITY TELEVISION PROGRAMS

Reality TV shows is said to have started in the U.S during the late 40's by an
American program titled "Candid Camera" that aired its first edition on the 10th
of November,1948 with its first host Allen Funt. The show used hidden cameras to
film unsuspecting ordinary people faced with odd or embarrassing situations - such
as a coin glued to a footpath or a talking mailbox (that only they could hear).
When the embarrassment reached its peak, the camera would be revealed with the
line, 'Smile, you're on Candid Camera'.
Aside from jokes and hijinks, contest-style reality television shows have proven a
crowd favorite throughout the history of television. Programs such as The Miss
America Pageant, which first aired in the early 1950’s has continued to remain
one of the largest themes in reality TV even today.

In 1973, American Family (1973) was the first reality TV program to use
cinema-verite techniques to record family life in a long-running series. The
program that showed a traditional American family that was going through the
stressors of a divorce. This reality style format is more reminiscent of the reality
television that we see today which tries to go behind the scenes of a situation
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that is popular, or of great interest to audiences. According to Rosenberg (2004)
the 1973 series An American Family set the reality trend. Kilborn (1994:426)
argues that the first reality show broadcast in the USA was Unsolved Mysteries in
1987.

The term ‘reality television’ became commonplace in different academic studies

during the 1990s, with early literature focusing on crime, consumer affairs and
disaster formats (e.g. 999, Cops, Crime watch). The makeover, talk show and
‘docusoap’ formats of the 1990s meant that the focus of the literature and the
use of the term ‘reality television’ expanded to include these genres. ‘Social
experiments’ (e.g. The 1900 House, Survivor, Big Brother), which emerged at the
turn of the millennium, expanded the genre further, as did the early 00s’
resurgence in talent shows heralded by the Pop stars and Pop Idol franchises – to
the point where reality has moved away from being a single genre, and, instead
becomes more a ‘meta-genre’ (Giltrow, 2002, p. 195) encompassing several
subgenres.
In recent years the number of reality television programs has increased
incredibly compared to what was being watched in years past, many of the formats
are the same. From the time television was born, people were fascinated with
seeing everyday people fight, claw, cry, laugh, love, struggle, work and find their
way – all to the delight of the viewer. As you can the history of reality TV has
really paved the way for many of today’s most popular television shows such as
Nigerian idol, MTN project fame, Guilder Ultimate search, Big Brother Naija and
many others all over the world.

20
2.2.3 Types of Reality Television

Observational docusoap: 'Fly on the wall' docusoap reality television combines

observational documentary with the dramatic conventions of soap opera. The
camera observes people in their everyday lives. Docusoaps are often based on
high-stress work situations such as border security, law enforcement or medical
emergency. Docusoap reality television has its roots in cinema documentary
Formulated docusoap: These reality shows take people out of their own worlds
and place them in a formulated or specially constructed environment to see how
they behave. The Big Brother format is an example of a formulated docusoap. So
too are the shows that place modern people in specially reconstructed historical
settings.
Reality game shows: Some analysts call these types of programs gamedocs‘. As in
formulated docusoaps, contestants are placed in a demanding artificial situation.
However, an extra element of competition is introduced together with the threat
of elimination. The Survivor format is an example of a reality game show. Big
Brother also fits into this subgenre.
Lifestyle reality: Ordinary people and their lifestyles are transformed by experts,
who make them extraordinary in lifestyle reality shows. It's not the winning of a
prize but the 'reveal' of the transformation that is the climax of the show. 'It's the
reaction, not the action that matters,' says Annette Hill of the University of
Westminster.
Talent show reality: Reality shows based around talent quests differ from
conventional talent quests in that they focus on the participants' lives during the
quest. An example is Australian Idol.
Clip show reality: Clip shows are made up of amateur video clips sent in by
audience members - often for prize money. An example is Australia's Funniest
Home Videos. Clips of surveillance video or CCTV footage from crime scenes are
another variation.

21
2.2.4 FEATURES OF REALITY TV SHOWS/PROGRAMS

Real-life-participants: Much of the appeal of reality television is that it is based

around real people, not actors playing parts which creates an inevitable tendency
to create characters out of these people.
Unscripted performance: People being themselves are the basis of the genre.
The programs are largely unscripted, although that does not mean that producers
can't deliberately set up situations. A narrative structure is usually imposed on the
real life events, but it is created during the editing and isn't necessarily there from
the outset.
Voice-over narration: The actions of the participants are explained to the
audience through the use of voice-over narration. Mostly this narration is in the
present tense and is about what is happening as we watch. The narrator adopts
an informal style.
Observation/surveillance: Like the documentary, reality television relies on
observation and in these shows, intrusive surveillance is taken one step further to
study the characters of the show. Through the invention and use of CCTV
cameras, reality television is suggesting that surveillance can be fun!
Voyeurism: voyeurism is the practice of taking pleasure in observing something
private, sordid, or scandalous. Many commentators believe that reality television
has moved beyond surveillance into voyeurism. Audiences are positioned as
peeping toms who gain pleasure from the exhibitionism of the participants. There
is also voyeuristic pleasure to be gained from knowing the emotions displayed are
real. If someone is crying, for instance, it means they are really upset.
Audience participation: What was unique about reality television when it took
the world by storm in the 1990s was its use of audience participation. Fans
were more than observers -they became participants in the narrative. Because
22
they

23
could influence the outcome of shows such as Big Brother, viewers to some
extent became producers. Audience participation also proved to be an effective
way of enticing viewers to become committed fans.

2.2.5 BIG BROTHER NAIJA

The idea for Big Brother is said to have come during a brainstorming session at
the Dutch-based international Italian television production firm Endemol on 10
March 1997. Since then the format has become a worldwide TV franchise, airing
in many countries in a number of versions. Although each country has made its
own adaptations of the format, the contestants are confined to a specially-
designed house where their every action is recorded by cameras and
microphones and they are not permitted contact with the outside world. The
program relies on four basic props;
 The stripped-bare back-to-basics environment, in which they live,
 The evictions,
 The weekly tasks and competitions set by Big Brother and
 The "Diary or Confession Room" where housemates convey their
thoughts, feelings, and frustrations, and reveal their nominees for eviction.
Contestants are required to evict one of their own on a regular basis. In the
earlier series of Big Brother, contestants were evicted every two weeks. However,
the UK version introduced weekly evictions; almost all versions of Big Brother
now follow this format.
At regular intervals, the housemates privately nominate a number of fellow
housemates whom they wish evicted from the house. The housemates with the
most nominations are then announced, and viewers are given the opportunity via
telephone to vote whom they wish to see evicted. Some more recent editions
have since included more methods of voting, such as voting through social media
and smartphone applications. In some cases, two housemates may be evicted
simultaneously (a "double eviction"); rarely, no housemates will be removed that
24
week. At the end of the game, the last remaining housemate is declared the
winner for the particular series and receives prizes (often including a large
amount of money, a car, a vacation and—in some editions—a house).
Big brother Naija was formerly known as Big Brother Africa, in which more than
10 contestants live their lives in an isolated house to compete for a large cash
prize worth $100,000 (36 million naira) at the end of the show by avoiding being
evicted by viewers.
The first season of the show aired on DSTV Channel 37 from March 5 to June
4 2006. In a twist to the game, two new contestants were introduced on day 23,
much to the excitement of the remaining housemates. Big Brother added another
twist to the game on day 79 by cancelling the day’s scheduled nominations and
making the house mates believe they will instead be evicted based on their
performance on assigned tasks while in reality no more evictions were held and
viewers began voting for the winner who turned out to be 26-year-old Katung
Aduwak
The second season of Big Brother Nigeria (entitled Big Brother Naija)
premiered 11 years after the first season. Efe Ejeba emerged winner of the
second season in 2017. Miracle Igbokwe from Imo state emerged winner of the
third season in 2018, while Mercy Eke emerged the winner of the 4th edition of
the show making her the first female contestant to win the Big Brother Naija
reality TV show since it began a decade ago. Big Brother Naija is a social
experiment on the foundation which aims to put together people from diverse
backgrounds, culture and experiences to live and work together. House mates
are allowed and encouraged to live their normal lives as long as it does not
contravene the house rules.

25
2.2.6 MORAL VALUES: Our society today is built on core values that help
to develop and improve its members and its infrastructural growth. According
to
R.K. Mukherjee (1960: 10), “Values are socially approved desires and goals that
are internalized through the process of conditioning, learning or socialization and
that become subjective preferences, standards, and aspirations”. In relation to
this, Zaleznik and David (1964) also stated that, “Values are the ideas in the mind
of men compared to norms in that they specify how people should behave.
Values also attach degrees of goodness to activities and relationships”
SO WHAT ARE MORAL VALUES?
Moral values are the key essence of life and it is these values that come along
with us through the journey of life. Moral values are basically the principles that
guide our life in the righteous path and do not allow us to do any harm to others.
SO, FROM WHERE DO WE GET THESE MORAL VALUES?
Moral values are the first thing that every child learns from their homes. What is
right and what is wrong is something that we see and learn from our parents as
well as from our own experiences. Many religions preach moral values are part of
their belief systems.

2.2.7 IMPORTANCE OF MORAL VALUES

Moral values are very important to each and every one because it is these values
that transform us into better human beings.
I. Without knowing and learning moral values, we will not be able to differentiate
between good and bad.
ii. Moral values define us and help us to be surrounded by good people.
iii. One who practices moral values will have courage to handle any situation
in life.
Inculcating the importance of moral values in a kid from their growing age will
help them in sticking to those values forever. It is a necessity of our society to
bear such responsible youths and younger generations with good moral values so
that they will help our nation to attain better heights.
26
2.2.8 ROLE OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS IN
INCULCATING MORAL VALUES TO CHILDREN
With the recent increase in the juvenile crime rate, pregnancy in the adolescent
masses, embezzlement, abuse and self-annihilation they are results of degraded
moral values in the new generation. Parents of today think that providing all
luxuries to their children is their only responsibility. But they miss to offer them
the most important wealth moral values. When parents deny this, they fail in their
duty to give a good human being to the society. Besides giving good education,
imparting moral values is extremely important.
Schools can best support students' moral development by helping teachers
manage the stresses of their profession and by increasing teachers' capacity for
reflection and empathy. According to (Schaps, Schaeffer, & McDonnell, 2001),
Many character education efforts in schools now focus on everything from
community service to teaching students virtues, building good habits, rewarding
positive behavior, and developing students' capacity for moral reasoning.
Educators influence students' moral development not simply by being good role
models, but also by their ability to appreciate students' perspectives and to
disentangle them from their own, ability to admit and learn from moral error,
their moral energy and idealism, generosity, and their ability to help students
develop moral thinking without shying away from their own moral authority. That
level of influence makes being an adult in a school a profound moral challenge.
And it means that we will never greatly improve students' moral development in
schools without taking on the complex task of developing adults' maturity and
ethical capacities. We need to rethink the nature of moral development itself.

27
2.2.9 FEW EASY STEPS TO IMPART MORAL VALUES
By imparting moral values, parents and teachers play a dominant role in molding
the attitude of children. Here are a few easy steps to improve your skill-set in this
area.

*Narrate patriotic, religious or ethical stories. Question them about the lesson
they have learned.
*Be polite, respectful and considerate towards others.
*Media exposure plays a major role in our life. While watching the news or even
a movie discuss the different aspects and ask the child what he/she would have
done in that situation? This will develop a sense of reasoning in children.
*While performing religious activities involve the child where you can.
It generates faith and trust towards God.

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2.3 EMPIRICAL REVIEW

This section here will take a look at 4 studies that are similar to the study, how
they were carried out, methodology employed and results obtained from each
study. Each study is to be reviewed to know areas where the research will be able
to correct what each study failed to accomplish.

CASE 1
Reiss, S. and Wiltz, J. (2004). Why People Watch Reality TV.
In a research work conducted by Reiss and Wiltz (2004) , the authors
assessed the appeal of reality television by asking 239 adults to rate themselves
on each of 16 basic motives which are power, independence, curiosity,
acceptance, order, saving, honor, idealism, social contact, family, status,
vengeance, romance, eating, physical activity, and tranquility .The study made use
of using the Reiss Profile standardized instrument and the theory used was the
Sensitivity theory which holds that people pay attention to stimuli that are
relevant to the satisfaction of their most basic motives. The study also show much
people watched and enjoyed various reality television programmes.
METHODOLOGY
The study was a survey involving 239 adults (167 women and 72 men)
participants who were recruited from one of two sources-seminars for 121
persons working in human service fields such as 4 youth groups and
developmental disabilities programmes-and 117 college students enrolled in
courses at a large Midwestern university. They asked the two groups to
participate in the study because they had access to them rather than because of
any specific characteristic that they might show. The participants agreed to
volunteer with the understanding that they would be asked to complete
anonymously a questionnaire about what they like and dislike but were not told
the purposes of the investigation until the study was completed.
Questionnaires were used in the study and were presented in booklets entitled
“Free Time Activity.” The questionnaire contained 159 questions organized into
three sections. The first section asked for demographic information, including age,
29
sex, and residential state of the participants. Part B required the participants to
rate how much they participated in travelling, different types of travels as well as
sports and how much gratification they derived. The participants endorsed
statements about how much they watched and enjoyed five different reality
television programmes - Survivor, Big Brother, Temptation Island, The Mole, and
The Real World. The purpose of imbedding the questions about reality television
into a more general survey of leisure activities was to disguise the investigators’
interest in reality television programme and minimize any bias or demand effects
such as the participants’ desire to please the experimenter by producing the
results the experimenter is hoping to obtain.
Part C of the questionnaire consisted of the 128 items on the Reiss Profile of
Fundamental Motives and Motivational Sensitivities (Reiss and Havercamp, 1998).
This is a standardized test of 16 “intrinsic” or “end” trait motives.

RESULT FINDINGS
The results of this study showed a statistically significant, motivational profile for
people who view reality television. The results of the study on reality television
supported the theoretical perspective that Reiss’s 16 basic desires and values are
associated with viewing and enjoying reality television programmes. The results
showed that status is the main motivational force that drives interest in reality
television. Again, the study reveals that those who are status conscious are likely
to watch reality television programmes with pleasure and enjoyment. There are
two ways in which reality television may gratify this psychological need. One is
the possibility that viewers will begin to attach more importance to themselves
than the ordinary people who are portrayed in reality television programmes.
The idea that these are “real” people gives psychological significance to the
viewers’ perceptions of superiority which may not matter much if the storyline is
real and as long as the participants characters are everyday people. The claim of
reality television producers that millions of people are interested in watching real
life experiences of ordinary people implies that ordinary people are also
30
important in

31
life. Ordinary people can watch the programmes, see people like themselves, and
fantasize that they could gain celebrity status by being on television. Because
reality television is widely watched, it is often a topic of discussion at the office. It
is therefore, not surprising that people who are sociable are significantly more
likely than non-sociable people to watch reality televisions, even though the
differences are small.
Although reality television viewing is generally about status, specific programmes
may appeal to different psychological needs. Temptation Island, for example,
portrays infidelity, which may appeal to people who value expedience (low honor)
more than decency. In contrast, Survivor has more of a competitive theme which
perhaps appeals to people who value vengeance.
In conclusion, the results of the study supported the general hypothesis that
cultural events such as reality television programmes arouse specific
combinations of 16 intrinsic feelings or happiness.

32
CASE 2
Annette Hill (2005) Reality TV; Factual Entertainment and Television
According to the book written by Annette Hill (2005), the author argues
that much can be learned from listening to audience discussion about popular
and rapidly changing television genres. Viewer’s response to reality TV can
provide valuable information to enhance both our understanding of both the
reality genre and contemporary television audiences. According to him, Reality
TV is also about the viewing experience of a developing factual television genre.
It is commonly assumed that audiences cannot tell the difference between
entertainment and information, or fiction and reality in popular factual television.
With such concern regarding audiences and reality TV it is necessary to explore
the development of this genre, and audience relationships with these types of
popular factual output. The author stated that if the book is about exploring the
genre of reality TV, the audience view about their experience of watching reality
programmes is paramount. Audience responses to reality TV can provide
invaluable information and analysis for understanding the transitional terrain of
the reality genre, and can enhance critical understanding of contemporary
television audiences.
METHODOLOGY
The research methodology used in this study was multi-method approach,
combining quantitative and qualitative techniques to gather data and subsequent
analysis of television audiences and popular factual programming in the UK. The
main methods used were a quantitative survey, semi-structured focus groups and
in-depth interviews, and the data was collected during a particular period in the
development of the genre of popular factual television (2000–2001).
The first stage of research relied on industry analysis and visual analysis. The
author used available television guides to assess the scheduling of a range of
factual entertainment across days, weeks, months and seasons. She also
analyzed the form and content of selected popular factual programmes, obtaining
copies of individual programmes and whole series by recording live programmes,
and by requesting previously aired and to be aired programmes from production
companies.

33
 The second stage in the audience research involved a national survey of
audience preferences for, and attitudes to, factual entertainment in the UK. Here,
the survey was a self-completion questionnaire, and was distributed by the
Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB) to a representative sample of
8,216 adults (aged 16–65+) and 937 children (aged 4–15) during August 2000.
The third stage of the audience research involved semi-structured focus
groups, where the results of the survey were used to design focus group
interviews with children (aged 11–14), young adults (aged 15–18) and adults
(aged 18–44), who defined themselves as regular viewers of popular factual
television, and were in the C1C2DE social category. The primary aim of these
focus groups was to explore audience attraction to different types of popular
factual programming, and to understand what strategies they used to watch
hybrid formats within the genre.
The final stage of the audience research involved in-depth interviews
with ten families, with children of varying ages, over a six-month period (recruited
from the focus groups). Combinations of methods were used – open discussions,
observation of families, and participation in watching programmes – in order to
understand the social context to watching factual entertainment.
RESULT FINDINGS
The result output of this study showed that that the audiences can learn about a
variety of things from popular factual television if they choose to do so. The study
assessed how audiences judge the informative elements in popular factual
television, and whether information is valued in hybrid formats which draw on
fictional or leisure formats for entertainment. The research also indicates that
audiences have contradictory responses to information in popular factual
television.
In conclusion, the author also talks about Ethics and how we ought to live
our lives, and much reality programming is concerned with good and bad ways to
live. He also positions how television audiences respond to the ‘ethical turn’ in
reality programmes and if such programmes illuminates ethical values that are
accepted in the society. The type of reality programmes that attract family
viewers, such as health-based reality programming and so on. In relation this
research, people are also concerned with the ethical values that every
34
programmes shown on television are adding value to the society or not, just like
in the case of the Big Brother Naija show.

CASE 3
Nelson Okorie: Reality Television, African Identities and the Big Brother
Africa Show: An Experimental Inquest
In a recent research conducted by Okorie (2020), the study stated that Reality
TV has defined and dominated the media landscape and Scholars have agreed
that Reality TV has defined media consumerism by providing real-time
entrainment that reflects current realities. The study examined how Big Brother
Africa has promoted the unique elements of African identities and multicultural
images of Africa. This study was anchored on the cultivation theory to explain the
nature and influence of Big Brother Africa as a reality TV show.
METHODOLOGY
The methodology used in this study was the Survey method .The method was
suitable for the study because it captured the views and perception of people on
how they feel about the nature of Big Brother Africa reality show. Survey is an
excellent method for measuring behavior in a large population. The population
for this study was young Nigerians, who have watched several episodes of Big
Brother Africa Hotshot. The study adopted both descriptive statistics and
inferential statistics to analyze the data. The descriptive statistics were univariate
and bivariate analysis, while the inferential statistics was correlation analysis. The
bivariate analysis was used to analyze data on viewership patterns and attitude
towards BBA hot shop, while the correlation analysis was used to test a
hypothesis on the correlation of the level of viewership and attitude towards the
multi-cultural images promoted on BBA. Furthermore, Spearman correlation test
was used to ascertain the correlation between the variables, while Somer D
measure was used to ascertain the strength of correlation between variables.

35
RESULT FINDINGS
The results findings of the study showed that 90% of the respondents had
watched BBA Hotshot, while more than 87 %of the respondents indicated that
they had watched past editions of BBA.
For research question one, the results indicated that a significant number of
respondents had watched past versions of BBA as well as BBA hot shot. The result
showed that the level of viewership was intense and significant. This result
supports the position of Lengnan (2013) position, who maintained that BBA is
unarguably one of the most watched/followed indigenous TV reality shows on the
African continent. For research question two, the results indicated that the major
elements of African identities were Christian Africa and Traditional Africa.
Furthermore, the results indicate that African identities were more linked to
Christian values and beliefs than African traditional beliefs. In essence, African
identities encapsulate the idea of a supreme God, monogamy, the celebration of
the birth of Jesus, the belief of heaven and hell, etc.
For research question three, the results indicated that African language and
communal living was promoted as major aspects of African identities. The idea of
communal living was hinged on the need to help and support one another. This
result supports the viewpoint of Ubuntu, which refers to “the quality of being
human.”
In conclusion, the result indicated that more than 83% believed that BBA
promoted African identities in the area of problem solving purposes. This study
recommended that there was a need for more reality television shows that
promote the indigenous languages and communal living among individuals

36
CASE 4

Roscoe C Scarborough: Moral reactions to reality TV: Television viewers

‘endogenous and exogenous loci of morality
In the research work done by Roscoe C Scarborough (2015), the author explored
the relationship between cultural preferences and moral condemnation.
Television consumers who have a moral reaction to reality TV are more likely to
be from a higher socio-economic position and are less likely to consume the
genre. The author also stated that Moral reactions to reality TV can be classified
as endogenous and exogenous. An endogenous focus is concerned with the
immorality of consumption. An exogenous focus locates morality in cultural
production. These moral positions are also socially patterned; television
consumers with an exogenous locus of morality possess higher levels of cultural
capital, greater education and are less likely to consume reality TV.
In relation to this, the author argued that Reality TV may also be characterized as
inciting a ‘‘moral panic’’ that can impact the cultural biases of viewers on the
subjects of race, class, gender, sexuality, and consumerism. Some reality TV
shows, like Big Brother, quickly became the focus of condemnation and
moralization. Reactions to these programs have all the hallmarks of a moral panic:
the presence of moral guardians or moral entrepreneurs, the influence of the
media, the belief that basic core values are offended, and a call for action in the
form of regulation or censorship.
METHODOLOGY
The methodology used by Roscoe during the study was the survey research
method and semi-structured in-depth interviews.
For the survey component of the research, the study utilized a multi-stage,
cluster sampling design to contact 1063 people in a small, mid-Atlantic American
city and received 250 responses – a response rate of 23.5%.2 Residents were
contacted at their homes during the months of March and April of 2011 on
weekend afternoons. Potential respondents were given a choice of either
completing a short questionnaire online or sending back a hard-copy form of the

37
questionnaire in the mail. In addition to basic demographic questions, the author
asked respondents various questions about their television viewing habits:
whether they watched reality television, what other programs and genres they
liked to watch, how many hours of television they watched each week and so on.

For the second portion of the research, 41 semi-structured, in-depth interviews

were constructed to understand how people watch television they labeled as
‘‘bad. ’Twenty-five of these interviewees were survey respondents who
volunteered to be contacted for an interview after completing the survey. The
remaining interviewees were contacted through online postings on craigslist.org
and flyers placed in public spaces such as cafes and shops. The length of each
face-to-face interview ranged from 45 to 90 minutes; on average, interviews
lasted roughly 60 minutes.
At the conclusion of each interview, the study collected data on demographics
and cultural consumption habits using a short form that replicated the questions
from the survey questionnaire

RESULT FINDINGS
The result findings of the study showed that 28 out of 41 interviewees
(68.3%) experience a negative moral reaction to reality TV. Even amongst
self-
proclaimed reality TV viewers, nine out of 17 (53%) experience a negative moral
reaction to the genre. Furthermore, the survey respondents identified 64
different shows that they self-report watching even though they are ‘‘bad:’’ 61.2%
of these shows can be classified as reality television.
In conclusion, the author suggested that many television consumers extend
moral considerations beyond their own viewing to boundary work in their social
lives. Moralistic television consumers who hold a low cultural opinion of reality TV
may be turning their cultural tastes into moral condemnation, which allows them
to distinguish themselves from those who watch reality TV amorally or at face
value as entertainment. Additionally, the study suggests that those who are more

38
highly educated and cultured are more likely to possess an exogenous locus of
morality

39
2.4 GAPS IN LITERATURE
According to the first research case, the study only placed more emphasis on the
self-appeal of individuals towards reality TV shows. In relation to this study, the
research work did not cover the view of reality TV on the basis of cultural and
moral values to the society which this study seeks to find.
The second research case stated no theory in its research framework. Using a
theoretical framework according to (Miller, 2007) provide assumptions that guide
the researcher and also guides the choice of the research design (LeCompte &
Preissle, 1993). The study should have also covered the findings on the extent
which reality TV affect people’s behavior rather than just getting information’s
about the audience view on reality programming which this study seeks to
explain.

Furthermore, the third case study only centered on how the Big Brother show
promotes the unique elements of African identity and culture, but of recent the
show has been seen to be a contradictory of what the study is proving. According
an article published by the nation newspaper, it states that many Nigerians
especially parents are calling for the ban of the show because of the sex plays that
happens during the show. Africa is known for keeping cultural and moral values
and the research work done by the author did not portray such.
As for the last case study, the author could have done more by stating that
broadcast stations are to restrict highly explicit content programmes because
such programmes can affect the moral values of the society negatively. Also, the
broadcast media should also consider the kind of information they disseminate to
the public because in one way or the other, the audience reacts to whatever kind
of information they get.

40
 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 INTRODUCTION

This chapter basically covers the methodology employed in this study. It also
focuses on the methods used in collecting and gathering of relevant data for
the research conducted.

3.1 RESTATEMENT OF RESEARCH QUESTION

What makes the reality TV show to attract viewership from students of Caleb
University and how often do they watch it?

Do students of Caleb University see the contestants of the reality TV show as role
models in the society?
Is the reality show a means of contributing value or harm to the society?
Is there any real life encounters experienced by students of Caleb University
through their exposure to the reality TV show?

41
3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN

The study employed the survey research method, because it is a very suitable
method especially when obtaining people‘s views on an issue. According to
Tejumaiye (2003), ―the survey technique is the most commonly used research
method by behavioral scientists. He states that the method involves drawing up a
set of questions on various aspects of a subject to which selected members of a
population are requested to react.
The survey technique is the most commonly used research method in the
behavioral sciences and it involves drawing up a set of questions on various
subjects or aspects of a subject and a selected number of a population are
requested to answer (Sobowale, 2008).

3.3 POPULATION OF STUDY

The population of this study is centered on Students from Caleb University.

Students from the various colleges (CASMAS, COPAS, COLENSMA) from 100 to
400 level will be used for this study.

3.4 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE AND SAMPLE SIZE

According to Tejumaiye (2003), sampling is therefore, a process or technique of
selecting a suitable sample of the population for the study. In order to ensure a
systematic or scientific selection of the sample to be studied, the simple random
technique will be used to select the sample elements of the study.

42
The study will be using 2% of the population of students in the university. 2% of
the student population from the various colleges will be appropriate for
generalization of the study. Therefore, 300 students would be used as sample size
of the study.

3.5 SOURCE OF
DATA Primary Data
The primary source of gathering data for the study is through questionnaires to
students who have in one way or the order known about the Big Brother Naija
reality game show or watched the TV program. The questionnaire will be divided
into three sections which includes Section A, B and C. Section A deals with the
demographics of the respondents, section B will be aimed at finding out if the
respondents watch the reality program their level of viewership and the last
section which is section C is to measure the level of influence and contribution as
the case may be of Big Brother Naija reality game show on youths. These
questionnaires will help to get more detailed information about the show and
their views on it.

3.6 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

Questionnaires will be administered as the instrument for data collection for
the study. According to Okunna (2000:179), a questionnaire comprises of a set of
related questions all of which should be logically related to the theme or problem
of the research. 300 questionnaires will be administered to the selected sample of
the population.

43
3.7 INSTRUMENTATION OF VALIDATION AND RELIABILITY

Validity of research instrument is a test to examine if the research methodology

is suitable with the research work; validity establishes the relationship between
the data and the variable or construct of interest
To guarantee the validity of the research instruments, content validity of the
research instruments will be done.
Content validity refers to the extent to which the items on a test are fairly
representative of the entire domain the test seeks to measure. Content validation
methods seek to assess this quality of the items on a test. Construct validity is
similarly concerned with the meaning of test responses and is similarly dependent
on studies of these responses to establish this meaning (Messick, 1975, 1980).
For content validity of the structured questionnaire, the questionnaire will be
administered purposively to selected 4 Caleb University students from the various
colleges who are homogenous with the study respondents

REALIABLITY

Reliability of research instrument measures the degree at which a research

instrument would return the same results or data after repeated trials, meaning
after the research instrument has been validated, trials with other variable will be
tested to examine if the same result will be gotten. Reliability of research
instruments also has to do with measuring its accuracy. The questionnaire will be
using the Cronbach Alpha test. This is to check the internal consistency and
construct validity of the instrument.

44
3.8 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
Data Analysis is the process of systematically applying statistical and/or logical
techniques to describe and illustrate, condense and recap, and evaluate data.
According to Shamoo and Resnik (2003) various analytic procedures “provide a
way of drawing inductive inferences from data and distinguishing the signal (the
phenomenon of interest) from the noise (statistical fluctuations) present in the
data”
Data will first be gathered through the administration of the questionnaire, data
analysis was based on the Qualitative research which deals with content and
narrative analysis approach using the Google forms questionnaire.

45
 CHAPTER 4

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

4.1 Introduction

In this chapter, the analysis of the questionnaire responses collected from the
respondents would be analyzed and interpreted here. This research work was set
out to assess the impact of the Big Brother Naija reality TV show on the moral
values of students which the case study centered on students in Caleb University.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic happening around the globe, the data
collection made use of forms.google.com to send links to respondents to answer
the questionnaire. However, it should be noted that the statistical data presented
in this chapter, forms the background to which the findings were discussed in the
succeeding chapters. Formula: % = No of Responses
Total no of Respondents × 100
The questionnaire administered and only had 213 responses amidst the sample
population of study of 300 respondents, this means 87 students did not respond.

Table 4.1
Questionnaires Frequency Percentage (%)
Response 213 71%
No Response 87 29%
Total 300 100%

46
4.2 Presentation of data

SECTION A

Table 4.1 Sex of Respondents

Sex Frequency Percentage (%)
Male 94 45%
Female 115 55%
Total 209 100%
The table above is a reflection of the gender of the respondents that participated
in the survey before and after intervention. It reveals that 55 percent of the
respondents are female while the remaining 45 percent are male. This indicates
that the majority of the respondents to this section were females.

47
Table 4.2 Age of Respondents
Age Frequency Percentage (%)
Below & 18 31 14.8%
19 – 20 73 34.9%
21 – 23 75 35.9%
24 & above 30 14.4%
Total 209 100%
In the table above ,14.8% of the respondents age fall between ages below
and 18 years, 34.9% of the respondents are between the ages of 19- 20 . The age
range between 21- 23 has 35.9% which is the highest percentage of the table.
While ages 24 and above had 14.4%. The result of the data shows that the age
range of Caleb University students are majorly within the age of 21-23 and also
19-20.

48
Table 4.3 Religion

Religion Frequency Percentage

Christianity 173 82.8%
Islam 36 17.2%
Total 209 100%
From the Table 4.3, 82.8% of the respondents practice Christianity, while the
remaining
17.2% of the respondents practice Islam.
The findings here portrays that they are more of Christian than Islamic youths in
Caleb University.

49
Table 4.4 level
Level Frequency Percentage (%)
100 Level 38 18.5%
200 Level 37 18%
300 Level 40 19.5%
400 level 90 43.9
TOTAL 205 100%

Table 4.4 above shows the total number of 205 response from students from
their different levels. 18.5% of the respondents are 100 level students, 18% 200
level, 19.5% 300 level and 43.9% 400 level. This shows that the highest level of
response to this section were the 400 level students.

50
Table 4.5 College

College Frequency Percentage (%)

CASMAS 104 52%
COPAS 50 25%
COLENSMA 46 23%
TOTAL 200 100%

Table 4.5 shows a total number of 200 responses from the students of the
various colleges in Caleb University. According to the table, 52% of the
respondents are CASMAS students (College of Arts and Management Sciences),
25% are COPAS (College of Pure And Applied Sciences) and 23% COLENSMA
(College of Environmental Sciences And Management). The result findings of data
shows that the majority of respondents are the CASMAS students.

51
SECTION B

Table 4.6 Do you watch Big Brother Naija Reality TV show?

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Yes 169 80.9%
No 40 19.1%
Total 209 100%

Table 4.6 shows a total of 209 responses. 80.9% of the respondents watch Big
Brother Naija reality game show while 19.1% don‘t watch the show. This indicates
that a high percentage of students of Caleb University are familiar with the show
and they love to view it.

52
 Table 4.7
Why do you watch BBN reality show?

Options Frequency Percentage (%)

For Entertainment 103 56%
For Information 10 5.4%
For Passing of Time 35 19%
All of the above 36 19.6%
Total 184 100%

Table 4.7 shows a total of 184 responses .56% of the respondents watch the
television reality game show for Entertainment, 5.4% of the respondents watch
the show specifically for Information, 19% respondents watch the show for
passing of time, 19.6% of the respondents watch the show for all the options
above (i.e. for entertainment, Information, passing of time). The result findings
shows that majority of Caleb University students watch Big Brother Naija for
entertainment purposes.

53
Table 4.8
Do you like the contents on the Big Brother Naija reality game show?
Option Frequency Percentage (%)
Yes 144 69.2%
No 64 30.8%
Total 208 100%

Table 4.8 shows the 208 responses. 69.2% of the respondents like the contents of
the show, while 30.8% of the respondents do not like the contents of the reality
show. This show that majority of the students like the content of Big Brother Naija
reality TV show.

54
Table 4.9
Do you think Big Brother Naija Reality show is addictive?

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Yes 135 65%
No 74 35.2%
Total 209 100%

From the table, 65%, which its frequency is 135 of the respondents, feel the Big
Brother Naija game show is addictive, while 35.2% with the frequency of 74 of the
respondents do not feel the show is addictive. The result here shows that the
reality show has an addictive effect on people that view it.

55
SECTION C
Research Question Analysis for Section C Table Likert Scale
A benchmark of 3.0 was specified for the Likert Scale. It was used to determine
the level of influence Big Brother Naija has on youths and the respondents from
Caleb University. This benchmark is arrived at by dividing the total values on the
scale by 5 points, thus:

5+ 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 15 = 3.0
5 5
Therefore, if a statement has a mean value that equals or is greater than3.0, then
it is accepted, if otherwise, it is rejected. Therefore to get the mean score for each
statement, the scores recorded under Strongly Agree (SA), Agree(A),
Undecided(U), Disagree(D) and Strongly Disagree(SD) were multiplied by their
scale points- 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1and then divided by the total score- 209 copies of the
question returned and found usable . It is important to note that ―F stands for
―Frequency.
Respondents Perception of Big Brother Naija Reality Game show
S/N Statement SA A U D SD Mean Decision
Score
F F F F F

10 Students of Caleb 480 288 105 4 4 4.1 Accepted

University love and enjoy
Big Brother Naija as a
reality game show
11 Big Brother Naija has a 405 344 108 16 2 4.1 Accepted
high level of viewing
audience among Caleb
University students

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12 Many youths believe that 220 312 162 54 10 3.5 Accepted
BBN has contributed
positively to their social
life
13 The contestants of the 200 264 147 86 15 3.3 Accepted
Big Brother reality show
can be seen as role
models in the society
14 Big Brother Naija reality 135 268 183 78 19 3.2 Accepted
show has contributed
negatively to the society.

15 Big Brother Naija reality 160 304 174 60 17 3.3 Accepted

show has contributed
positively to the society
16 BBA reality game show 120 180 195 104 27 3.0 Accepted
content is credible and
acceptable for
Nigerian
youths morally
17 Some critics feel Big 150 280 102 94 37 3.1 Accepted
Brother Naija should be
banned
18 Big Brother Naija has 145 200 165 100 29 3.0 Accepted
influenced or affected
your behavior positively
19 Big Brother Naija has 80 104 141 148 53 2.5 Rejected
influenced or affected
your behavior negatively

57
From the table above, based on how the respondents responded to question 19,
the statement was rejected after being evaluated using the likert scale. The mean
scores of the statements are both equal and more than the specified benchmark of
3.0, it means that the statements are valid and are therefore accepted.

Table 4.10 Students of Caleb University love and enjoy Big Brother Naija as a
reality game show

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Strongly agree 96 46.4%
Agree 72 34.8%
Undecided 35 16.9%
Disagree 2 1%
Strongly disagree 4 1.9%
Total 213 100%

Table 4.10 shows that most of the respondents (46.4%) strongly agree that Caleb
University students love the show. 34.8% agree, 16.9% are not sure while the
remain respondents disagree. The result findings shows that students of Caleb
University love and enjoy the show.

58
Table 4.11 Big Brother Naija has a high level of viewing audience among Caleb
University students

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Strongly agree 81 39.1%
Agree 86 40.3%
Undecided 36 17.4%
Disagree 8 3.9%
Strongly disagree 2 1%
Total 213 100%

Table 4.11 shows that most of the respondents (46.4%) agree that there is a high
level of viewers of the show among Caleb University students. 39.1% strongly
agree, 17.4% are not sure, 3.9% disagree and 1% strongly disagree. This result
findings shows that Caleb University Students love to view the show.

59
Table 4.12 Many youths believe that BBN has contributed positively to their social

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Strongly agree 44 21.2%
Agree 78 37.5%
Undecided 54 26%
Disagree 27 13%
Strongly disagree 10 4.6%
Total 213 100%
Table 4.12 shows that most of the respondents (37.5%) agree that the show has
contributed to their social life. 21.2% strongly agree, 26% are not sure, 13%
disagree and 4.6% strongly disagree. This result findings shows that BBN has
contributed to the social life of the Students.

Table 4.13 The contestants of the Big Brother reality show can be seen as role
models in the society.
Option Frequency Percentage (%)
Strongly agree 40 21.2%
Agree 66 31.7%
Undecided 49 23.6%
Disagree 43 20.7%
Strongly disagree 15 7.2%
Total 213 100%

60
Table 4.13 shows that most of the respondents (31.7%) agree that the
contestants of the show can be seen as role models. 21.2% strongly agree, 23.6%
are not sure, 20.7% disagree and 7.2% strongly disagree.

Table 4.14 Big Brother Naija reality show has contributed negatively to the
society.

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Strongly agree 27 13%
Agree 67 32.2%
Undecided 61 29.3%
Disagree 39 18.3%
Strongly disagree 19 8.9%
Total 213 100%

Table 4.14 shows that most of the respondents (32.2%) agree that Big Brother
Naija show has contributed negatively to the society. 29.3% are not sure, 18.3%
disagree, 13% strongly agree and 8.9% strongly disagree. The result findings show
that the show has a negative effect on the society.

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Table 4.15 Big Brother Naija reality show has contributed positively to the society

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Strongly agree 32 15.4%
Agree 76 36.5%
Undecided 58 27.9%
Disagree 30 14.4%
Strongly disagree 17 7.9%
Total 213 100%
Table 4.15 shows that most of the respondents (36.5%) agree that Big Brother
Naija show has contributed negatively to the society. 27.9% are not sure, 14.4%
disagree, 15.4% strongly agree and 7.9% strongly disagree. The result findings
show that BBN has a positive effect on society.
Table 4.16
BBA reality game show content is credible and acceptable for Nigerian
Youths morally

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Strongly agree 24 11.6%
Agree 46 22.1%
Undecided 66 31.7%
Disagree 55 26.4%
Strongly disagree 27 12.6%
Total 213 100%

62
Table 4.16 shows that most of the respondents (31.7%) are not sure if the show
is credible and acceptable for Nigerian youth’s morally. 26.4% disagree, 22.1%
agree , 11.6% strongly agree and 12.6% strongly disagree. The result findings
show that in as much as many are not sure of the statement written, many still
disagree with the fact that the show is credible for youths morally

Table 4.17 Some Critics feel Big Brother Naija Should be Banned

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Strongly agree 29 14.1%
Agree 68 33%
Undecided 33 16%
Disagree 46 22.3%
Strongly disagree 37 17.3%
Total 213 100%

Table 4.17 reveals that most of the respondents ( 33%) agree for the show to be
banned. 22.3% disagree, 17.3strongly disagree, 16% are indecisive while the
remainder 14.1%. The result findings here reveals that most of the respondents
agree with crtics who want the show to be banned.

63
4.18 Big Brother Naija has Influenced or Affected your Behavior Positively

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Strongly agree 2 17.3%
Agree 50 23.4
Undecided 55 26.4
Disagree 50 23.4%
Strongly disagree 29 17.3%
Total 213 100%

Table 4.18 reveals that most of the respondent are indecisive about the show
influcening their behavior positively. In equal terms, some of the respondent
agree and disagree with the show influcening their behavior positively. There was
also an equal response with the respondents strongly agreeing and disagreeing.

64
Table 4.19 Big Brother Naija has Influenced or Affected your Behavior Negatively

Option Frequency Percentage (%)

Strongly agree 16 7.8%

Agree 26 12.6%
Undecided 45 21.8%
Disagree 73 35.4%
Strongly disagree 53 24.8%
Total 213 100%

Table 4.19 reveals that most of the respondents disagree that the show has
affected or influenced their behavior negatively. 24.8% strongly disagree, 21.8%
are indecisive, 12.6% agree, while 7.8% strongly agree to the statement. The
result findings shows that the show has not been able to affect most of the
respondents negatively.

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4.3 DISSCUSSION OF FINDINGS
This section discusses the findings of the study in relation to the four research
questions raised.

4.3.1 Research question one

 What makes the reality TV show to attract viewership from students
of Caleb University and how often do they watch it?

A look at table 4.7 reveals that most of the respondents from Caleb University
seems to like the Big Brother Naija show for entertainment purposes. Big Brother
Naija show according to pulse.ng, is a show that many youths find it hard to
avoid. The reason is because people love to be privy into what other people do
behind closed doors and the show affords them the opportunity to do so. Also
they love to see the exciting content of the show, such as the games, conflicts,
sex plays, parties and how the contestants of the show relate with one another. A
critical example of how the show attracts viewers is mostly in the areas of conflict
between the housemates of the show. In the recent “Big Brother Naija Pepper
Dem” edition, the fight between Mercy Eke and Anita Natacha (also known as
Tacha) was the most controversial event that ever happened in the show. This
was because a housemate known as Cindy came to report to Tacha that Mercy
insulted her for all her utterances against her. This led to the two powerful
housemates engaging in a gruesome argument that led to a lot of spiteful chants.
This conflict didn’t just lead to the elimination of Tacha but also several reactions
from fans of the show. According to a news report done by channelstv.com,
some of the fans actually enjoyed watching the fight between the two
housemates. In an article cited from happenings.com, some fans on social media
were taking sides, while others withdrew their support. Some even created
memes out of it and even some popular celebrities and bloggers like Tunde
Ednut and Stella Dimokoko also brought their own views concerning the fight.
According to article published by pulse.ng, it also states that some youths
often watch the show because of the sex plays that goes on in the show. In the
recent edition of the show, two housemates, Khafi and Gedoni according to
vanguardngr.com were caught having sex in the house. In the previous editions,
66
Bambam and Teddy A were also indulged in sexual activities in the house. Some
of the viewers of the show according to pulse.ng also fantasize about the bodily
features of the housemates and in relation to Table 4.8, many of the respondents
like the content the show portrays.
The result findings for this research question shows that many of the respondents
prefer to watch the reality show for the purpose of entertaining themselves by
watching and observing the events that takes place between the housemates of
the show and follow up with it.

4.3.2 Research Question Two

Do students of Caleb University see the contestants of the reality TV show as
role models in the society?
According to table 4.13, 31.7% of the respondents agree that the contestants of
the Big Brother Naija Reality TV show can be seen as role models in the society.
19.2% of the respondents strongly agree with the idea too. According to an article
cited on nairametrics.com, it states that many youths love to be part of the Big
Brother Naija show because of its economic value and also the show is seen as
platform for youths to express themselves and become brand ambassadors after
the show. Nigerian Journalist, Reuben Abati in article cited on businessday.ng
stated that the idols of our celebrity culture are mostly in the entertainment and
sport industry. He also stated that many businesses seek the attention of this
celebrities to become brand ambassadors and have become role models for many
including youths. He added that many youths think it is unnecessary to take
education seriously or take a white collar job because it does not pay and does
not make one popular. Taking a look at the recent Edition of the show, some of
the contestants of the show got to be brand ambassadors for various companies
and businesses. Tacha for example became a brand ambassador for konga.com,
mypaddiapp, fashion house NLNT and so many others. Other contestants like
Mike Edwards became a brand ambassador for Japanese automotive company,
Mitsubishi. Ike Onyema got an endorsement deal with PTR Lifestyle, owners of
Kabaal Nightclub and Beach in Lagos. With this taking place in the life of these
contestants, many youths now see the show as a medium of getting rich quick
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and also becoming very popular. This is because youths of today are moved by
present situations that goes on in the society and social media has aided such
because every youth wants to become a celebrity, get rich and have the freedom
to do what pleases them without stress. The result findings to this research
question shows that many youths are influenced by the fame and get rich quick
syndrome that is rampant in the society and because Big Brother Naija is an
avenue for such, many of our youths adore the contestants of the show and
wants to be like them.

4.3.2 Research Question Three

Is the reality show a means of contributing value or harm to the society?
According to table 4..14 and 4.15, questions about the Big Brother Naija show
were raised to know if the reality show has either more of a positive or negative
impact on the society. According to the response, 32.2% of the respondents agree
that the show has contributed negatively to the society while 36.5% agree that
the show has contributed positively to the society. Looking at the response level
to the two questions, the research study will find out which of these response has
more ground by giving empirical examples to each response. Looking at the
positive aspects, Big Brother Naija in an article published by thenationonline.ng,
remains the realest and richest reality show on television. Unlike other reality
shows where contestants rehearse how to live their lives, the Big Brother Naija
show is the one where housemates come as they are and live in the open. Also,
the stakes get higher every year the show is hosted. From the winner getting 25
million naira in 2017 to walking away with 45 million naira in 2018 and 60 million
naira in the recent edition, the show proves to be financially strong in its rewards.
Also, Bamike “Bambam” Olawunmi one of the housemates in the 2018 edition,
made 36 million naira from her cosmetic oil business in just one week after being
evicted from the show.

This is why many youths see the show as a means of being able to get rich quick
and break away from poverty or middle class lifestyle. In relation to this, the show
also has an effect on other industries with significant impact on Nigeria’s GDP,
68
which is currently $397.472billion. Another positive aspects of the show is that
new cultures and exciting things are learnt in the show. One major aspect of the
Big Brother Naija show is the Thursday night presentation show. Here, Big Brother
brings a task for the housemates, asking them to showcase various cultures and
lifestyle of Nigerians and other parts of Africa.
On the other hand, the negative side of the show seems to be more than its
positive side. According to an article cited on dailypost.ng, Nigerian Project for
Human Development coordinator, Dr. Mojisola Araba, stated that the reality
show, Big Brother Nigeria is a corruption of TV reality shows. She stated that
Nigerians complained about the moral perversity, saying that the show is a
celebration of obscenity, eroticism and idleness. She added that the show is a big
mockery of Nigerian culture and tradition because as far as the inmates are
Nigerians, they are spoiling the cultural and moral values of the country. Dr.
Mojisola recalled that the original production done Endernol in Netherlands never
considered celebration of obscenity in its first edition.
According to an article published by pmnews.com, the big brother Naija
has been receiving so many complaints from Nigerians who see the show as an
avenue to promote immorality. Just like in the case of Khafi and Gedoni who
were caught having sexual activities on the show, many have argued that the
show promotes lewdness and moral depravity. This is why Director, Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC) Professor Ishaq Akintola, in the same mind with Dr.
Mojisola Araba are calling for a ban of the show as it would be harmful to the
societal values and the next generation to come. They also stated the Nigerian
Broadcasting Commission(NBC) must live up to its bidding as a body charged with
controlling, monitoring, regulating the electronic media and monitoring of
satellite transmission in Nigeria.
In light of this, Igbinoba (2011) in a study conducted on the perception of
Covenant University staff and Students on the cultural relevance of Big Brother
Africa reveals that Covenant University academic staff and students saw the
reality TV show as a threat to the African culture and that they had gained
nothing significant from the TV show. The author stated obvious that many
reality television programmes are lacking in cultural/traditional contents, such as
respect for women and culture.

69
The result findings here have been able to show how the reality TV show affect
the society in both the positive and negative aspects. The Big Brother Naija show
has been seen as an avenue for youths to express themselves, become rich and
famous people in the society. But mostly the show has been also been
condemned for its immoral sex plays, conflicts and destroying the values of the
society. We can then say that the show contributes more harm than good to the
society and the only way the show can be widely accepted by the masses is when
the sexual interactions are reduced to barest minimum.

4.3.4 Research Question Four

Is there any real life encounters experienced by students of Caleb
University through their exposure to the reality TV show?
Taking a look at the table 4.18 and 4.19 two questions were asked to the
respondents on whether or not the Big Brother Naija Show has influenced their
behavior positively or negatively. According to the findings on the table 4.18,
25.2% are not sure if the show actually affects them positively while 24.3 state
that the show has actually affected their behavior positively. As for table 4.19,
most (35.4 %) of the respondents disagree that the show has affected their
behavior negatively. Other respondents (26.7%) strongly disagree.
Nicholson (2012) argues that some teenagers may not be affected by the kind of
programmes they watch. The fact remains that most young people in their self-
conscious state allow reality television to change the way they see themselves. It
makes them want to be cooler or more popular by acting in an inappropriate way.
Writing on www.mghclacenter.org, Hay (n.d) argues that reality television is
having great impact on teenagers and the society, noting that “with more fake
tanning, fist pumping, party-going teens along with girls sporting the latest
“trend,” the baby bump, in this world, it’s definitely sure that reality television
has an effect on today’s society. In relation to this, an article cited on
daliypost.com, revealed that fans have been scouring the net to find out more
about their favourite contestants.
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In an article cited from Chubmagazine.com, an interview was conducted to know
how Big Brother Naija has influenced the youths in the country. Some of them
stated that the show made them realize how powerful a people can be when
expressing their beliefs/standpoint, as it goes to show the transparency of fans
support for their favorite contestants. A case study of this happened during the
2017 edition when fans expressed much love for winner of the show (Efe Ejeba),
by organizing rallies for him and putting millions of naira into SMS votes as well as
skits too. The remaining people stated that BBN has also promoted laziness,
immoral activities, and so on. They added that the show has only promoted
immoral activities on a ratio of 96%, and it increased confidence in youths on a
ratio of 4%. It doesn’t have any impact it is just there for entertainment.”
The result findings here shows that in one way or the other, youths can be
influenced by what they watch on reality TV either positively or negatively. Just
the way Big Brother Naija has been able to capture the attention of many to them
because of the content they offer, many youths are likely to follow and desire to
be part of the reality TV show.

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 CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, DISCUSSION CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 SUMMARY
This chapter summarizes the study to give it a logical view of the research. The
main focus of this research is to assess the impact of Big Brother Naija television
on the moral values of students in the society. The survey research method was
employed. 300 respondents were chosen systematically and questionnaires were
employed as a research instrument for gathering data from respondent but the
research got only 213 responses.
However, based on the research objectives and with the research questions, it
was discovered that Big Brother Naija is watched by Caleb State University
student and to a significant level of viewership. The research work also discovered
that the show has not contributed to moral values and it has more negative than
positive effects on the society. As a result, this confirms that the social learning
theory supports the fact that students of today learn from the reality TV show
and admire its content. The Uses and Gratifications theory also supports the fact
that audiences will often turn towards specific medium to meet their needs meet
to satisfy their interactive participation offers them some degree of gratification
which could either be good or bad depending on the messages transmitted by the
media.

72
5.2 CONCLUSION
The research study has shown that the audience who watch the Big Brother
Naija reality game show mostly watch it for entertainment purposes and they
also engage in critical viewing of the attitudes and behavior of the contesants.
It is evident from the result gathered from the previous chapter that Big Brother
Naija reality show does have more negative than positive influences on the moral
values and behavior of youths. Although the show makes one rich and famous, it
does not contribute significantly to the academic and socio-cultural values to
students in the country and this has been the impact of the show has been able
to create in the society. The African society is known for it's high standards in
Cultural and Moral Values and the show with all it's glamour does not potray
such.

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS

The study has investigated the impact of Big Brother Naija reality game show on
the moral values of students in the society.
In order for our society to maintain is moral and cultural values, I recommend
that parents and the members of the society play a vital role in ensuring that our
youths of today are not carried away by the happenings or events in the society.
Youths of today went to be free to do whatever pleases them and if care is not
taken, many of them will go astray and and affect other generations to come. I
also suggest that both the broadcast and social media should place regulations on
the kind of content they put out for people to watch. This will help to reduce the
high rate of immorality and violence in the society because people most especially
the youths are more liable to follow what they see, either on broadcast or social
media.

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5.4 AREAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Further studies should be carried out on the impact of social media on Big
Brother Naija reality game show participation by viewers. This would help find out
how participatory the viewers of the show are and how the social media has
impact on activities and eviction of the housemates.
The data collected from this study suggests various exciting research
opportunities. Further qualitative research such as an ethnographic study where
the researcher observes media usage patterns for reality television will reveal
interesting trends within this new emerging genre.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Albert Bandura (2003) Social Cognitive Theory and Vicarious Learning. Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/albert- bandura-social-cognitive -theory -and vicarious-
learning pp126
American academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (2005). Cited from https://pediatrics
aappublications.org/content/138151/e20162591
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 QUESTIONNAIRE ON IMPACT OF BIG BROTHER NAIJA

REALITY TV SHOW ON THE MORAL VALUES OF STUDENTS

IN THE SOCIETY.

Caleb University
College of Art and
Social Managements
Sciences
Department of Mass Communication,
Dear Respondent, Lagos State.

I am Ogboku Chibuzo Isreal, a 400l student of the Department of Mass Communication in Caleb
University, Imota Lagos State. I am here to administer this questionnaire for my final year
project. The purpose of this questionnaire is to gather data for the research work titled ‘Impact
of Big Brother Reality TV Show on the Moral Values of Students in the Society

This project is an academic work in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of B.sc

(Hons) degree in Mass Communication. Your assistance is needed in filling the questionnaire. Be

assured that your responses will be kept confidential and will only be used specifically for

academic purposes.

79
SECTION A
Please tick ( ) the boxes that tallies with your identity to the following questions.

SECTION A: DEMOGRAPHICS OF RESPONDENTS

1. Gender
Male
Female

2. Age
a. Below and 18
b. 19- 20
c. 21- 23
d. 24 and above

3. Religion
a. Christianity
b. Islam

4. Level
100level
200level
300level
400level

5. College _

80
SECTION B
6. Do you watch Big Brother Naija Reality TV show? YES/NO

7. Why do you watch BBN reality show?

a. For Entertainment

b. For Information

c. For Passing the time

d. All of the above

8. Do you like the contents on the Big Brother Naija reality game
show? YES/NO

9. Do you think Big Brother Naija Reality show is addictive? YES/NO

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 SECTION C
Choose appropriately and objectively the options that best suit your opinion in the
next section by ticking (√) the response mode that represents your opinion on each
of the items. The response modes are: SA- Strongly Agree, A- Agree, U-
Undecided, D-Disagree, and SD- Strongly disagree.
S/N ITEM SA A U D SD

5 4 3 2 1

10. Students of Caleb University love and enjoy Big Brother Naija as
a reality game show

11. Big Brother Naija has a high level of viewing audience among
Caleb University students

12. Many youths believe that BBN has contributed positively to their
social life

13. The contestants of the Big Brother reality show can be seen as
role models in the society

14. Big Brother Naija reality show has contributed negatively to the
society.

15. Big Brother Naija reality show has contributed positively to the
society

16. BBN reality game show content is credible and acceptable for
Nigerian youths morally

17. Some critics feel Big Brother Naija should be banned

18. Big Brother Naija has influenced or affected your behavior

positively

19. Big Brother Naija has influenced or affected your behavior

negatively

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83