Before the era of electronics, hard copy materials such as newspapers and journals were the source of news and information for the people of the world. People were able to have information about any occurrence many miles from where they are. The introduction of electronic appliances such as radios and television further broadened this spectrum and converting the world into some kind of village since news become easy to spread and easy to access. This overflow of information led to the knowledge of different cultures. People began to embrace other cultures and customs easily due to having a better understanding. This trends still continue up to this day as more and more information circulates through the world.
The main aim of this paper is to discuss the effects the media has on the cultural, social, economic and political lifestyle of people and the role it plays in influencing these areas in the lives of the people of Nigeria. It is in no doubt that the people that have been significantly impacted by the power of the media is the youth. The things they see and read mostly end up being practiced even if the cultures are entirely different. The evidence of this is clear when you consider imperialism of the western cultures on the Nigerian youths where it has become rare to see a youth living as a traditional Hausa or Yoruba person is supposed to rather they seem more kin on embracing the American culture. As much as the media has contributed to the growth of knowledge, the consequences have been cultural degradation and the loss of tradition.
Tom Mcphail writes about electronic colonialism likening the media with how countries such as Britain sought to colonise different parts of the world with how media outlets strive to reach more and more people in the world. He directly attributes the loss of culture in many parts of the world to this and Nigeria is no exception. The media has however had a positive impact on the lives of Nigerians socially. The exposure to different cultures has led to reduced discrimination against people of different races, colour and tribe due to the better understanding of their ways of life. This has created more cohesion among the people of the nation.
The media's influence on the political landscape in Nigerian cannot be stressed enough as the media has created a platform in which political leaders and aspiring leaders can get to interact and have debates with the public concerning their objectives while in office. This has created accountability, transparency in the political field and given the citizens better understanding of their leaders. People have also resulted to social media to discuss politics and their take on various political issues creating political mobilisation. Thomas McPhail also talks about how the media has influenced the setting of laws and the making of policies by the governments of the world depending on how the public air their views and what the media is advocating for since the media acts as the voice of the public more or less.
One of the major contributions and positive impacts that the media has had on Nigeria as a nation is the promotion of its culture and tourists attraction. This has exposed Nigeria as an attractive destination for tourists from all over the world hence injection of foreign exchange leading to economic growth. The flow of tourists has also contributed to the merging of cultures with those of the people of Nigeria leading to the emergence of new ways of life and the developing of new ideas and philosophies among the citizens. The influence of mass media and social media is evident in history, the present and will undoubtedly continue in the future.
Works cited
Gane, Nicholas and David Beer. New Media. Oxford: Berg, 2008. Print.
Harris, Richard Jackson. A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication. Abingdon: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. print.
McPhail, Thomas L. Global Communication:Theories,Stakeholders, and Trends. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell, 2010. print.
