ABSTRACT
The technological breakthrough of web 2.0
revolutionized communication channels, increasing information traffic from
source to sender and vice versa. Media convergence is one of the many outcomes
of this technological revolution whereby traditional media and the internet
merge to disseminate information to audience. However, news preferences seem to
relegate different audience demographics to particular channels of
communication. This study which analyzed the most preferred medium for news
consumption in Enugu between the broadcast media and social media was anchored
on the Uses and Gratification theory as well as Choice theory. The study was
based on survey research method which involved the use of multistage sampling
technique to distribute 384 copies of the questionnaire to residents in Enugu
state. Data retrieved were analyzed using descriptive technique including
percentages, frequencies, and bar chart. The results of the research found that
people of Enugu state were largely exposed to broadcast media and social media
and these media were used to by the residents of Enugu state to a high extent.
Broadcast media was chosen to be more credible than social media. The most
preferred news media for the people of Enugu state was the broadcast media for
mostly reasons of its news credibility, reliability and currency.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Mass media play crucial roles
in the connection of individuals and its success is enabled through the
dissemination of news. While the focus
of this research study is the preference of news in Enugu which further now
compares the Broadcast media and social media news consumption, Encarta, (2009)
cited in Ekwueme and Akpan, (2011) explains that broadcasting is the primary
means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public in
virtually every nation around the world.
Similarly, Bolalek,
(2013) opines that not only are social media beneficial for creating and
maintaining social relationships but also, because of their popularity, social
media have become a way to access news. News organizations and journalists now
participate in sharing the news via social media.
It is generally said
that if a news report provides answers to six questions, then it should be
considered a news item. These six questions include five Ws and H: Who, What,
When, Where, Why and How? According to
Williams, (1899) if ‘A dog bites a man’-that’s a story; but if ‘A man bites a
dog’ –that’s a good news. This is true
in the real sense but suppose a dog bites the president of a country, it most
certainly makes big news. In this context, therefore, the understanding of news
becomes an obvious imperative to give clarity to how Journalists and News Anchors
gather and process news. National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Code, (2016)
defines news as a truthful account of an event that assists the recipient live
in a complex, dynamic and humane society.
Despite the criteria
stipulated that a news item should possess, the importance of whom the news is
gathered for should be in consideration. The mass media audience is
heterogeneous and as such respond to media messages differently. This has
further led individuals into vying into different sources in search of news
they prefer that best suits them. This is in accordance with Olorunnisola,
(2009) cited in Ojebuyi, (2013), who states that given the new trend of growing
competition occasioned by liberalization of the media and communication
industries and emergence of new media, the media audience now have greater
freedom and a wide range of alternatives from where to get information about
events that affects their lives.
According to NBC, (1996) audience
research intervals to ascertain the taste and preference of the audience and it
is therefore unwise for broadcasters arrogating to themselves the knowledge of
the audience’s taste and preference to media content based on simple
assumption.
This
study, wishes to explore the channels through which news is consumed by
audience and the most preferred channel of news consumption from the various
mediums at the audiences reach. The
traditional channels of news are the television and radio. In recent times,
social media has also come into limelight which houses news and entertainment
disseminating platforms like facebook, twitter, instagram, whatsappe.t.c. Ojebuyi, (2013) argues that Radio no doubt,
has unparalleled capacity to reach the mass audience at a relatively cheaper
cost and within a short time. This is against television which is the most
expensive medium of mass communication but has an attractive motion picture
inclined potential Esan, (2009). Television has the advantage of using a
combination of sight through pictures, hearing, through sound which aids in
attracting its audience unlike radio with sounds alone. These are notable attributes as to why some
people prefer or are against the traditional radio and television to social
media and vice versa.
Opinions
differ in this context as (Ha, Yoon, & Zhang, 2013, p. 2) argue that news
consumption behavior of Social media users is a salient research topic in
online social media studies because the characteristics of Social network sites
such as feedback, instantaneousness and connectedness are powerful advantages
as a news medium.
Despite the seeming challenges and gallops this social media is beginning
to create, one cannot help but to observe that in order for the traditional
media to keep up with the new age, it has practiced ‘media convergence’ in some
areas of news dissemination. Flew (2017) describes it is a phenomenon involving
an interconnection of information and communications technologies, computer
networks and media contents. Flatzer, (2013) argues that with the rapid
proliferation of internet based services, especially with social media and
wireless communication and introduction of web 2.0 sites, the convergence
phenomenon has attracted more attention since the 21st century. The
digitization of media content and popularization of the internet is encouraged
and adopted by the traditional broadcast media to keep up with the pace of the
transforming news times.
Even
with these changes, the big question remains why some audiences prefer
broadcast media to social media for their news consumption and vice versa. This
work therefore, sought to analyze the news consumption habits of the people of
Enugu state to discover what news channel between the broadcast and social
media platform is mostly preferred.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The emergence of
internet technology and social media has posed tremendous challenges on the
kind of news medium mostly preferred by the news consumers. Similarly, it has
become imperative to examine the traditional media and social media for news
consumption in order to ascertain which is mostly preferred by the mass
audience.
Furthermore, some factors
like the convenience, cost, credibility, quick access and instantaneousness in
the aspect of feedback of the broadcast and social media sources all act as
reasons as to why news consumers prefer certain sources over others. It has
been observed that most news materials derived from, television and radio are
further restructured to the taste of the retriever and then disseminated to the
online audience who nowadays find it easier to subscribe to social media
application like twitter, facebook, instagram and whatsapp for news materials.
But then again most of the social media develop their own content. (Pew
Research Center, 2010a) cited in Ha et al. (2013) agrees with the above when
they described social media as a news portal for its users because the users
are constantly participating in the production and consumption of news through
this medium.
The broadcast media and social media are now
in competition for which serves better and is mostly used by news consumers.
Hence, this study sought to discover the news medium mostly preferred in Enugu
state by comparatively analyzing the broadcast media and social media used for
news consumption.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main
purpose of this study will be to compare broadcast media and social media news
preference and consumption in Enugu State.
Specifically other objectives of this study
were to:
1.
Ascertain
the extent to which the people of Enugu State have access to broadcast &
social media news content.
2.
Find out
the extent to which they use these media for their news consumption.
3.
Find out
the level of credibility in the news contents derived from these sources.
4.
Identify
the most preferred media for news consumption.
1.4 Research Questions
1. What is the extent to which the people of
Enugu State have access to broadcast & social media news content?
2. What is the extent to which they use these
media for their news consumption?
3. What is the level of credibility in the news
contents derived from these sources?
4. What is the most preferred media for news
consumption?
1.5 Scope of the study
This research study is
limited in scope and content. It takes a look at the news preference in Enugu
state and comparatively analyzes traditional broadcast media and social media
news consumption. This research study is
to use Enugu metropolis as the focus.
1.6
Significance of the Study
This research will provide a valuable base
for theory, research and practice. The findings are expected to support
previous theories and premises in the area of news preference and the sources
of news consumption.
It will educate the Nigerian
general public on the widely preferred news medium in Enugu state through a
critical comparative analysis of the traditional broadcast media which
comprises of radio and television news reception and the modern day social
media news consumption.
The research work will as
well serve as a resource base to other scholars and researchers interested in
carrying out further research in this field.
1.7 Operational Definitions of Terms
News: newly received information about a recently changed situation or
events in the country or the world.
Preference: strong liking or a predisposition in favor of something. It is also
the right to choose or grant favor over other news sources.
Comparative Analysis: is a research methodology employed for both
quantitative and qualitative research studiesin social sciences that aim to
make comparisons across different thematic issues.
Broadcast Media: radio and television devices used in
transmitting informative contents to a mass audience.
Social Media: websites and applications that enable users to
create and share content or to participate
in social networking
News .Consumption:
the reception and utilization of news material
News
Preference: audience news
choice or ability to select what kind of news or news medium to expose themselves.
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