‘The fact that it is trending, does not make it right or decent and the fact that it is not trending does not make it wrong or indecent’
© 2019 Nigerian Patriot
The Media is popularly referred to as the Mass Communication Industry, esp. Newspaper, Television and Radio. In the modern digital age, this industry includes the global world of the Internet. Dissemination is the distribution of information or content over an area. The summary post highlights the dearth of societal ethics due to the negative influence of inappropriate content disseminated by mass media channels available to us in Nigeria.
It is a Scientific fact that the human Eyes and Ears are two very sensitive and prominent windows into the Human Mind. The foundation of learning strongly revolves on these two senses and finds relevance with a law of nature which states that ‘Learning is a consequence of constant observation and listening’.
The concept of understanding and emulating a trait gains traction and develops form with varying cycles of observation and listening. The speed of assimilation depends on the retentive ability of a person to the audio and visual information they have experienced and varies with different individuals.
The paragraphs above should provide the awareness required to connect with the reason addressed below as a primary contributing factor that is responsible for the sharp decline of simple moral values in our country.
Previously in Nigeria, this was not the case as attested by the very inspiring stories of old times narrated by our elders on their experience with the country in their younger days. They are pleasant stories of a respectful and morally endowed nation across all ages and boundaries.
Something has terribly gone wrong and the questionable moral undertone of the information we experience from the mass communication channels available to us in Nigeria today is mostly responsible for promoting and nurturing this trend.
Currently in Nigeria, from the waking moment of a person until the next sleeping moment, the human mind is constantly assaulted by varying tones of vulgarity with a majority of presentations across the media platforms available to us, especially from the Internet. This presumably trending lifestyle of violence, drugs, sex and disrespect, could become engrained in the subconscious mind over time, and inform the development of inappropriate habits.
Societies are driven by human beings, and it is our attitude and behavior that feeds the moral fabric of the society. Consequently it is very clear that the tragicomic state of reasoning displayed by a majority of individuals in our country can be attributed to the type of media content which their minds have assimilated over time.
The older generation can attest to the fact that the reason they had a far more sane society, was not necessarily due to the absence of immoral tendencies, but the absence of platforms to disseminate such messages of negative influence at the speed and spread obtainable today.
A pause in deep thought would reveal that the social moral fabric of our country has witnessed a steady decline since the introduction of the GSM technology in 2001.
It has become very easy for people to manipulate very deceptive impressions with their locations and activities, a clearly nefarious and deceitful behavior which most Nigerians view as a display of ‘intelligence’.
The decline in our societal ethics gathered super momentum with the advent of the android phone which made it very easy for any ignorant mind to become trapped in a whirlpool of moral decadence at the swipe of a finger.
A majority of the people who walk around with these digital mobile ‘Oracles’ which they virtually worship all day long are very ignorant on the deeper psychological effect of exposure to the wrong content on their innate process of reasoning.
For the sake of appearing trendy, Parents often ignorantly arm their little children with these very volatile gadgets without caring to activate the child protection features inbuilt into such devices.
This problem is not limited to the internet because the story with the content transmitted through our televisions, radios and newspapers is no different.
The progressive countries of the world whose culture of life we desperately aim to emulate have developed a seasoned sense of responsibility and accountability in their citizens which helps such nations to regulate the excesses of the modern lifestyle of digital gadgets.
The literacy levels in those countries have a spread and depth that cannot be compared to what is obtainable in our country. Regulatory institutions are on top of their game and law enforcement is far more effective.
In such progressive nations, media innovations are introduced after a careful analysis of its summary effect on societal development and citizen Psyche. Intelligent and dynamic policies are developed and enforced to guide the use of such gadgets.
In conclusion, there is an imperative need to change our mediocre mindset toward media disseminations within our national space. We are part of a global system of development and cannot shy away from the fact that while we ought to continue to model the technology of our media industry in line with accepted industry standards, it must be done with a determined sense of responsibility, and a sound strategic plan to enable a healthy integration with the peculiarities of our own national circumstance.
Our media space should be dotted with programs designed to inspire, inform and imbibe a decent character of moral principles on the audience. This would hopefully mitigate the diminishing effect of the so-called ‘trendy’ media disseminations currently decimating the moral fabric of our great nation Nigeria.
Arise O Compatriots….
© 2019 – Nigerian Patriot. All Rights reserved
Nigerian Patriot 
true. Discernment is a key skill one needs in order to filter media messages.
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