Mass Communication

Impact of Pornographic Movies on Nigerian Youths

Impact of Pornographic Movies on Nigerian Youths

CHAPTER ONE  

1.1 Background of the Study

This study “Impact of Pornographic Materials on Youths” aims at identifying the influence of pornographic materials on the youth, with particular emphasis on the youths in the University of Nigeria Nsukka. The study will help to ascertain whether pornographic materials hurt the moral behavior of youths. However, this study will be narrowed down to pornographic movies only.

Given the foregoing, films began in the minds of people who came long before the film pioneers themselves. The attempt to capture and recreate motion can be traced to when civilization began. The cave drawing which showed a horse with eight legs, the fleeting arrow from a hunter’s bow, and even a carefully detailed drawing of kings with one foot outstretched suggest motion.

Bittner (1989) said that history is somewhat not clear as to who deserved the glory of inventing still motion pictures, but that William Dickson and Thomas Edison were associated with the efforts to create motion pictures.

The earliest forms of pornographic movies were seen in France during the 1920s. The development in France brought about fun and all sorts of condemnation from the public. For instance, Dellu cinema owner and also French man said that the exhibition of such pornographic movies contributed to the melancholy, fatal condition, social and other negative attitudes among the people.

Down here in Nigeria, pornographic movies started pervading our country in the late 1960s and became more rampant in the 1970s. Today, pornographic movies have become so prevalent that access to them is easy.

“Film, according to Black African greatest film producer Ousmane Sembene is tool or communicator of social change and culture.” He went further to stress that “a film is but a driving belt, a vehicle that conveys an idea and by this, we will see that communication and ideas help people make their own decisions about the environment they live in.

Film as a genre of mass communication is, therefore, associated with the enormous influence of the mass media. To buttress this, Walter Lippman (1922, p. 588), also said that the media do not only tell the people what to think, but what to think about. That is to say, the media shape the picture in our heads. There is no consensus on the power of the media to propagate sexual abuse, crime, violence, etc, among youths by way of projecting such a message to them.

The stand which one takes on this issue depends on individual perception towards the controversial topic. But this research aims to investigate this issue scientifically keeping emotion aloof, that is, to find out if there is any relationship between youth exposure to media portrayals of pornographic and sexual perversion among the youth.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Undoubtedly, social scientists who are interested in the study of mass media particularly film effects have been involved in the efforts to find out the relationship between media and anti-social behavior like crime, violence, sexual behavior perversion, abuse, and rape. There have been a series of research works that show that audio-visual media can be described as an all-powerful, all-pervasive, and all manipulative medium capable of producing the most effective emotional reaction through the portrayal of pornography, violence, and other immoral acts.

This project is geared towards ascertaining if sexual crimes, perversion, and abuse among the youths could be attributed to their exposure to pornographic movies. Therefore, in which way can the viewing of pornographic materials be stopped?

1.3 Objectives of the study

This study is aimed at the following:

  1. To find out the reasons why youths watch pornographic movies.
  2. To assess the extent youths practice behaviors acquired from viewing the pornographic movie.
  3. To make suggestions and recommendations on what can be done to stem the viewing of pornographic materials.

1.4 Research questions

  1. What are the reasons why youths watch pornographic movies?
  2. To what extent do youths practice behaviors acquired from viewing pornographic movies?
  3. Should the Nigerian government ban pornographic movies because of their negative influence on the youths?

1.5 Scope of the Study

This study is limited to youths at the University of Nigeria Nsukka. But since the characteristics of youths are generally similar in many ways, the findings of the study would therefore be generalized to include all youths in Enugu.

1.6 Significance of the study

This study will be of great benefit to Nigerian students at the tertiary level. This study will be of significance to the students because it will help them to know the effects of pornographic movies.

Furthermore, it will be of benefit to both governments because it will help the government to understand ways in which they can control and eradicate this social vice.

1.7 Operational definition of terms

The variables for this study, “Impact of Pornographic Materials on Youths” are operationally defined as follows:

The Impact Operationally Defined

The operational definition of impact is the powerful effect that something has on somebody.

Pornographic Materials Operational Defined

The operational definition of pornographic materials is films that are made solely for sexual arousal and feature nudity and explicit sexual acts.

Youths Operational Defined

The operational definition of youth is the time of life when a person is young having the characteristics of the young.

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