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 money. But unfortunately, the shows immoral acts which are widely accepted by 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.

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

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.

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 sh