THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MASS MEDIA AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (FOCUS ON NIGERIA)
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction 1
- Background of the research problem 1
- Statement of research problem 3
- Objectives of the study 4
- Significance of the study 5
- Research question 6
- Research hypothesis 6
- Conceptual and operational definition 7
- Limitation of the study 14
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW 15
- Sources of literature 15
- Theoretical framework 15
- Communication and development 16
- Constraints of development –
communication in Nigeria 25
- Organising the Nigerian mass media –
for effective development communication 27
- Summary 35
CHAPTER THREE
Research Methodology 37
- Research method 37
- Research design 37
- Research method 38
- Data collection 39
- Expected results 39
CHAPTER FOUR
Data analysis and results 41
- Data analysis 41
- Analysis of results 43
- Discussion 44
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
- Summary 46
- Recommendation 49
REFERENCES 50
BIBLIOGRAPHY 52
ABSTRACT
This project work the effectiveness of the mass media as an instrument for national development focus on Nigeria, is a research in how development communication can be used for national development. Several years after independence Nigeria like every other country in the third world have remained started in their development. Times upon times, volumes upon volumes have been written and published by experts and even non- experts on the concept of communication for development. Yet the so-called less developed or developing counties have not made any significant progress in their growth and development. Whey is this so? And how can this trend be reversed for third world nations like Nigeria?
The objectives of this study as started in chapter one is to give a good definition of what national development is in addition it also seeks to measure how the Nigerian mass media have contributed their own quote to the development process and recommend a systematic way in which the mass media communication in the country.
The research methodology for this study is survey. In this case a questionnaire was designed for the purpose and personal visits to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the National library.
The results of the study presented in chapter four justify the research hypothesis. The mass media is an effective tool for national development if properly organized for effective development communication. Chapter five contains a summary and conclusion of the project.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Development can simply be defined according to cited in Nwodus and Ukozor (2003:1) as the improvement of the quality of life for any set of people. For example ruralities, urbanities and slumites. That is why communication experts and professionals can talk about community development, rural development, and national development. These developments include other forms of development and technological development, such as economic development, socio-cultural development and technological development and of course, educational development in developing countries like Hate, Latin America and Nigeria.
Books, papers seminars, workshops and much has been published and said by professionals in the field of social development. But there is still a sharp contrast between the different economics of the countries of the world. That is why Nwodu and Ukozor (2003;6) say, “the contemporary world operates in two distinctive broad social divides. Based on these apparent social divides, all the nations of the world are hardly perceived as equals. Abott cited in Nwodu and Ukozor (2003:6) also agrees to this when he says, “our world is full of sharp contrasts, one of the sharpest is that between the poorest nations and the richest nations”.
The world of homo sapiens is cateogrised into developed and developing nations. Thus while fewer and several wealthy nations of Europe, North America and a few Asian countries like Japan fall among the developed nations category, there are more nations like Africa, Latin America, and a greater percentage of Asian countries which fall under the category of developing nations. Even with much being published on social development in this information age, the so-called less developed or developing countries have remained generally stunted. Their development have been snail speed. And there is no noticeable development for the betterment of the citizens of these nations. Whey is this so? Could it be that those at the helm of affairs in these nations and their cabinet in all sections of development have not been reading these publications? Could it be that the leaders or rather those concerned do not read or use the knowledge contained in these publications? Could it also be that there is not enough information or research work in the area of social development in developing nations? How can this trend be changed? Can communication through the mass media bring the long desired development in developing nation? If so, how? This is he reason for this research work.
- STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
From the background to the problem outlined above, it is an oblivious fact that the Nigeria falls under the category of developing countries. Ever since Nigeria gained her independence she has had no noticeable development or rather should I say her development has been at “snail speed”. How can this ugly situation be changed? Does the mass media have a role to play in changing the situation? if so, how can communication through the mass media be used to bring development to the Nigerian society?
Communication and development are twin concepts that are inseparable. One cannot exist without the other. Each of these concepts needs each other to thrive – in other words communication is central to any development, programme in a country. The mass media is one of the levels of communication. What role can the media play in bringing development in Nigeria? Since communication is a key to national development.
- OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
- In view of the problem defined above, the project seeks to outline the role of the mass media in National development in Nigeria .
- It also seeks to measure the progress of Nigeria ‘s national development by explaining what national development is.
- The project also emphasizes rural development as the core of national development.
- It also seeks to show the medium that is most other media which complement the mass media in national development programmes.
Accordingly, the emerging research question seeks to determine the ways in which the mass media can be instrumental to national development. Development which not only affects urban areas but also the grassroots of the rural areas.
- SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study becomes significant because it explains how the mass media can be utilized for national development. In Nigeria the mass media have acquired enough hardware for efficient dissemination of information to the grassroots. There are coefficient radio and television stations located at the state capitals and Lagos. The Federal capital, Abuja, is getting its share of the hardware. But trained personnel are needed to use the available hardwares to disseminate pertinent programmes. These programme materials and the message couched in them are the softewares. Unfortunately, the availability of adequate hardwares and softwares at the sources of news dissemination does not guarantee national development. There is no systematic approach to the use of the mass media for national development. In addition to this mot of Nigerias mass media structures are located within the urban areas. In this regard however, this study is imperative. The reason being that its aim is to show how the mass media in Nigeria can be organized to transmit development messages to the target audience.
- RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- Is there any relationship between communication and national development?
- Can the mass media be used for national development?
- How far or much has the Nigerian mass media been able to promote national development?
- How can the mass media be structured for national development?
- How can the mass media be used as a social development agent?
- RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Ha1: There is a significant relationship between the mass media and national development in third world countries like Nigeria.
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between the mass media and national development in third world countries like Nigeria.
Ha2: The development of rural settlements is prvotal to national development in developing countries like Nigeria .
Ho2: The development of rural settlements is not prvotal to national development in developing countries like Nigeria .
Ha3: The mass media needs rural traditional medial to reinforce its messages for effective rural social development.
Ho3: The mass media dotes not rural traditional medial to reinforce its messages for effective rural social development.
Ha4: The mass media in Nigeria has been effective in disseminating developmental messages to both urban and rural settlement for the past five (5) years.
Ho4: The mass media in Nigeria has not been effective in disseminating developmental messages to both urban and rural settlement for the past five (5) years.
1.7 CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
- COMMUNICATION
Communication according to the ordinary man on the street means getting your ideas across or making yourself understood. These are not wrong, but in the context of this project it is much more than this.
Several communication scholars have tried to define communication from several perspectives: According to Darnce (1970) cited in Ndolo (1998:1) communication is the process by which we understand others and in term endeavour to be understood by them. it is dynamic, constantly changing and shifting in response to the total situation.
Agee et al, 1998 defines communication as the act of transmitting information, ideas and attitudes from one person to another. In other words transmission of information, ideas, and attitudes to one or more of an individual’s senses of sight, sound, touch, taste or smell.
According to Onho (1991) communication is an activity or process that entails mutual sharing or exchange of ideas, information, feelings, emotions and reactions.
Common to all the above definitions is that communication is a process of understanding and sharing of ideas, feelings and meaning or managing of messages between people.
In the process of communication one can identify five basic elements. These elements are people, channel, messages, Noise and feedback. Without these elements there can be no communication.
- LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION
There are four major levels in which communication occurs. These are intrapersonal, interpersonal group and mass communication.
Intrapersonal communication refers to an individuals through processes or it means communicating with oneself. The sender and receiver are one and the same person. The message is personalized and the feedback is immediate.
Interpersonal communication is face-to-face communication between one person and at least one other person. It can be dyadic or triadic. The sender is one person while the receiver can be one or more. The message is usually personalized and the feedback is immediate.
Group communication is divided into two categories small group and public speaking. Small group is hen three or fifteen (15) people formalize heir relationships by coming together to combine talents and concerns in order to achieve a purpose, solve a problem or make a decision. The sender at a time is one person and the receiver can be up to fifteen. The message is personalized to the group and the feedback is immediate. Public speaking is when one person speaks to many. That is a sender using the power of speech to inform, persuade and act as a catalyst for change. The sender is one person while the receiver which is referred to as an audience is large, diversified, heterogeneous and faceless.
Mass communication is the fourth level in which communication occurs. It is simply defined as the process of transmitting information, ideas and attitudes to many people, usually through technological devices. The messages transmitted by this level of communication can be received by different people in different geographical locations simultaneously.
The medium of mass communication are the radio, television, newspapers, magazines and books. Those who constitute the source sending or initiating mass media messages are conglomeration of professionals that include writers, cameramen, reporters, audio and video technicians, directors, floor managers, editors, production technicians, machine operators who prepare and send messages through a mass medium to a huge audience.
- C) THE TRADITIONAL MASS MEDIA
Long before the advent of cannibalism and the subsequent emergence of the modern mass media, Nigerians in spite of their great linguistic diversity, were communicating with and among each other. They used smoke signals, the village town crier, talking drums, long brass horns, open village markets, age groups and oral narratives. These forms of mass communication is what is refered to as the traditional media. Though some of these media are no longer in use most are still being used for communication in the rural areas.
Oral tradition still dominates rural settlements in Nigeria today. It continues to be a very important means of handing over information from generation to generation. It includes songs, proverbs, legends, religious liturgy, bakads, invocations and folk tales.
The talking drum is an extinction of the oral tradition and can vary from membranosphones like the hour – glass – shaped drum of the yorubas to the large tom-toms or slit drums of the Igbos. They used to all meetings at sacrificial festivals and for making some official announcements.
Gongs are conical shaped instruemtns used for much the same reasons as the drums. They can be single or double gongs and are sometimes accompanied by the voice of the town – crier.
The voice of the town crier is usually heard in the early hours of the morning or in the evenings. He announces important meetings, ceremonies, messages and imminent troubles.
- DEVELOPMENT
To the ordinary man on the street development means the provision of tangible social infrastructure like roads, hospitals, schools, and decent pipe-borne water, constant power supply and other social amenities.
Professionals like economists view development as change that realistically enhances people’s earnings in addition to raising their living standards via large – scale production of goods and services. In the perspective of philosphphers, development is viewed as the attainment of meaningful degree of alertness and the sophistication of human faculties to the level of the individual in society can not only reason well but also, adopt a logical approach to issues arising from human society.
From the above laymen and professional perception of development one can infer that development as a concept is a continuous change that impact meaningfully on all the ramifications of peoples lives. Okunna (2002:294A) cited in Nwodu and Ukozor (2003:2) summarizes the meaning of development this way “Development should bring change, this change should be for the better; the change should be for the benefit of the majority of the people; and the process should be participatory, that is, involve people as closely as possible.
It is form this angle that this project perceives development.
- NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
According to Liwis Ramiro Beltran cited in Nwuneli (1985: 185) cited in Nwodu and Ukozor (2003:4) National development is a directed and widely participatory process of deep and accelerated socio-political change geared towards producing substantial changes in the economy, the technology, the ecology and the overall culture of a country, so that the moral and material advancement of the majority of its population can be obtained within conditions of generalized equality, dignity, justice and liberty.
From the above definition one can say that developmental efforts at national level must be all- embracing as well as all-encompassing. It focuses on the overall socio-economic, cultural, political and environmental transformation of the entire nation. National development is not limited to the urban settlements or rural areas it embraces the living conditions of both the urban and rural dwellers.
1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study is limited to the Enugu metropolis. Although the focus of the study is Nigeria other states were excluded in this study.
Secondly actual visits were not made to ascertain the actual situation and state of rural areas. All the data complied in this project or study are from primary and secondary sources.
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