AFRICAN MASS MEDIA AS TOOL FOR CULTURAL IMPERIALISM

INTRODUCTORY OVERVIEW
One of the most important  institutions in any organised human society is the mass media. Unaguably, mass media play a very significant role in such society and being a socializing  agency, mass media work closely with other socializing agencies like the church, the school, the family as well as the peer group to make individuals and groups  aware of the values, norms and acceptable behaviour patterns  of the society.
Butressing this view, Okunna in Umechuckwu (2001:21) writes; "The mass media  provide a common body of knowledge, the internalisation of which enables people to operate as effective members of their society"
The exposition of information and programmes (which are mostly foreign) from the media especially television, films, when wrongly internalize by native audience lead to indiscipline, indecent dressing, violent crimes among youths. Commenting on this, Umechuckwu (2001:21) posits that, it is a lack of internalization that has resulted in indiscipline, bribery and corruption, greed, robbery of higher degree, cheating, indolence, general apathy to work among public servant, religious bigotry and many other vices in our society.
Thus, attitudinal change often called cultural imperialism is spurred by the mass media as Udeze (2005:27) rightly puts; "...the people's  minds are first of all prepared via the mass media to accept these goods or services or to accept this behaviour or lifestyle as the superior one."
Commenting further, he says;
"Imperialism  is subtle conditioning through the mass media of the minds of the people to make them imbibe values which will make their desire for certain goods, service or idea to increase."
The mass media as agent of cultural  transfer help and kill at the same time. Most culture it take in or out of the country through the awareness  they create  to the society as a whole. The mass media help us to imitate the good and the bad aspects of the culture from other parts of the world through its recommendations and expositions. This book therefore, focuses on African mass media  as tool for cultural imperialism,  it takes a look at its role in attitudinal  change and explores herein it effect on the Nigerian society.