REALITY TELEVISION SHOW AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE: A CASE STUDY OF BIG BROTHER NAIJA REALITY TELEVISION SHOW

This research is on reality television show and moral development of undergraduate: A case study of Big Brother Naija reality television show. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of reality television shows on the moral developments of youths, with focus on undergraduate students from the University of Cross River State, Calabar Campus. To realize the objective of this study, three (3) research objectives and corresponding research questions were formulated to guide the study. The Cultivation Media Theory proposed by George Gerbner (1969) and the Cultural Norms Theory by Douglas (1970 served as the theoretical framework adopted for the study. Relevant literatures were reviewed to support the researcher’s views. The population of the study consisted of 400 level undergraduate students from department of Mass Communication, University of Cross River State, Calabar. Using the census sampling technique, a sample of 226 respondents were selected as study participants. Questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. Data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed in tables and simple percentages. Results obtained from study findings indicated that Students perceive Big Brother Naija reality TV show to be entertainment oriented, that the social, cultural and personal aspects of students’ morality is influenced by Reality TV shows and that Big Brother Naija Reality Tv show influences students’ morality both positively and negatively. It was therefore recommended amongst others that authorities from the University of Cross River State should implement media literacy programmes that equip undergraduate students with critical thinking skills to analyze and evaluate the contents of reality TV shows, to help students discern the moral implications of what they watch and further encourage them to reflect on how such contents influence their values and behaviors.