INFLUENCE OF SUPER STORY ON THE SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF YOUTHS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

According to Dictionary of American History (2003), soap operas are serialized dramas that were presented, usually daily, first on radio and then on television. The name was derived from the fact that manufacturers of soaps and other household products, most notably Procter and Gamble, were frequent sponsors of these programs. Although serialized stories had existed prior to the soap opera in printed fiction, comic strips, and movies, none of these forms exhibited the durability of the soap opera. The Guiding light, for example, started on radio in 1937 and moved to television in 1952. Still airing original episodes in 2002 after nearly seventy years, The Guiding Light is the longest story ever told in human history. Credit for the first soap opera usually goes to Irna Phillips, who created Painted Dreams for WGN radio in Chicago in 1930. 

The first national soap was Betty and Bob, created by Frank and Anne Hummert for NBC radio in 1932. Both Phillips and the Hummerts provided a wide variety of soaps for network radio over the next several years; only Phillips, however, would make the transition to television. After many decades, the Phillips-created serials as the World Turns, the Guiding Light, and Days of Our Lives were still on the air. The soap opera was designed for women and women were frequently employed to create, produce, and write them. Besides Irna Phillips and Anne

Hummert, other prolific soap opera artists included Elaine Carrington (Pepper Young's Family, Red Adams); Agnes Nixon (All My Children, One Life to Live); and Lee Phillip Bell (with her husband, William Bell, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful). 

As gender roles changed significantly in the latter half of the twentieth century, the principal audience for soap operas—women who were at home during the day—began to diminish. In the 1970s, many soap operas were redesigned to attract younger viewers and college students. By the 1980s, soap operas like General Hospital were achieving high ratings among these younger viewers as well as among men. While early soap stories focused almost exclusively on romance and domestic home life, from the mid-1970s soaps often borrowed from other genres, integrating glamorous on-location settings and even elements of science fiction. The soap operas of Agnes Nixon became known in the 1970s and 1980s for their frank depiction of social issues in stories about rape, abortion, infertility, depression, child abuse, AIDS, and a variety of other controversial topics. 

The first soap opera on network television, Faraway Hill, ran on the Dumont network in 1946 as an evening series. As had been the case in radio, however, the TV soap quickly settled into the daytime schedule. It was not until ABC introduced Peyton Place in 1964 that a serious attempt to return the soap to prime time was launched. Like a daytime soap, Peyton Place ran multiple episodes per week (up to three); had a huge cast of over one hundred; and did not broadcast reruns, even during the summer. Despite the commercial success of the series, however, the idea was not imitated again for years. In 1978, Dallas (CBS, 1978–1991) ushered in the era of the prime-time soap opera. Dallas employed multiple ongoing story lines and endof-episode cliffhangers and, within a few years, became the most-watched series on TV. More prime-time soap operas were introduced over the next few years, including Knots Landing (CBS, 1979–1993), Dynasty (ABC, 1981–1989), and Falcon Crest (CBS, 1981–1990). Although the prime-time soap had begun to wane by the 1990s, its influence was felt in nearly all genres of fictional television series. Before the advent of the prime-time soap, most series episodes were totally self-contained, with little or no reference to events that had happened in previous episodes. Since then, most series have employed some continuing elements from episode to episode.

In 2000, Disney/ABC introduced Soap Net, a channel devoted to reruns of daytime and prime-time serials, and another soap channel was expected from Columbia TriStar Television. The Spanish-language networks Univision and Telemundo offer imported soap operas, telenovelas, which play to very large audiences. Even MTV, the youth-oriented cable channel, introduced its own soap opera, Undressed, in 1999.

According to National Mirror newspaper (2014), soap opera in Nigeria dates back to the

1970s and 1980s with soap operas such as New Masquerade Village Headmaster, Behind the Clouds, Checkmate, and Mirror in the Sun, and Cock Crow at Dawn‘. But now soaps such as

‗Tinsel‘, ‗Spider‘, ‗Domino‘, ‗Treasures‘, ‗Clinic Matters‘ ‗Super Story‘, ―My Mum and I‖, ―Dear Mother‖ and ―One Love‖ has taken over the screens with better graphics, skills and also different story line which usually has a moral lesson at the end of each episode. 

Soap operas most of the time makes use of the medium of television for dissemination of information, since the invention of television people have been able to keep abreast of the happening in their environment either through entertainment, educative, informative programs such as soap operas.

The basic characteristics of any television program are its educative and entertainment functions. These programs inform the audience about the ongoing events or happenings in the society, in most cases while watching the soap opera the viewers gain information that tend to be applicable to the real world. Soap opera such as Super Story always have a vital message to convey to its audience and this message serves as a form of education to the youths who view the programme.

These messages could enlighten them on topical issues such as marriage, relationship, diseases (HIV, cancer), character building and even cultural heritage. The moral lessons derived from the programme helps them cultivate an upright lifestyle; for instance if the programme centers negative consequences of excessive youthful exuberance and juvenile delinquency, the youths viewing the programme would want to abstain from such behaviour in order to avoid such consequences befalling them. For its entertainment function, it eases people from tension and relives them of stress for instance after going through stress of a long day watching a soap opera can serve as a form of relaxation. This study examines the influence of Super Storyon the social behaviourof Afe Babalola University, Ado –Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Super Story is a Nigerian television series created by Wale Adenuga who published the magazine on which the programme is based on. It started airing in 2001 in the Nigerian television authority (NTA).it runs for 45 minutes.  According to the executive producer, the Message of the story designed is to focus on various social issues at all times. We try to project the good, the bad and the ugly of the society. Super Story is well- known for its slogan, ―We are nothing but pencils in the hands of our creator.‖

  Statement of the problem

The media has been able to bring a change in the society using television, radio, magazines, newspaper etc to disseminate information, entertain and also to enlighten people most especially in developing countries. Television is a medium of change that Airs programmes such as soap opera. The content in the soap opera differ but has growth comes into the society, advancement in technology and ideas are bound to change. All soap opera have different moral lessons; the problem now is what influences those soap opera such as Super Story have on the youth of today. Do they gain more on the positive side or the negative? Does it make them better future leaders, has it increased the rate of drugs, prostitution, armed robbery, internet fraud, drinking, smoking, etc or has it decreased it. Therefore, the study examined critically influence of Super Story on the social behaviour of students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study were as follows: 

1.      To ascertain how often the students watch Super Story.

2.      To determine whether the students imitate what they watch on Super Story.

3.      To find out the influence (both negative and positive) Super Story has on the students.

 Research Question

The following served as the research questions:

1.  How often do the students watch Super Story?

2.  Do they imitate what they watch on Super Story?

3.  What positive or negative effects or influence do the soap opera has on the students?

 Significance of the Study

        The following were the significance of the study:

1.      It would be of enormous significance to the society such as the youth.

2.      It would help decisive youth behaviour from copying everything displayed by the media such as soap operas. 

3.      It would be of importance to the producers of this soap operas to know what influence the programme is having on the young ones which helps them in better production and gives them better understanding of things to avoid the aspects that brings  negative influence to the youth. 

4.      Finally, the significance of the study would bring about a change in the society in terms of the behaviour and character the youth portrays towards the society, which can bring about a stop to drinking, drug abuse, prostitution etc.

   Scope of the Study

The study was limited to students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti,  Ekiti State. 

 Organization of Study

This research work consists of five chapters. Chapter one is the introductory chapter which gives details and background information has to what to expect in the remaining chapter, this chapter includes statement of the problem, objectives, significance, limitations etc. chapter two will consist of literature review and theoretical frame work, chapter three includes methodology, research design, population, instrument data collection techniques etc. chapter four basically is the data analysis, that is the analysis and summary of data collected and finally chapter five which is the conclusion, it is the summary of findings, discussion and also recommendation.

 Operational Definition Terms

Influence: This refers to change in either in a society, behaviour, belief, or attitude etc. It means a control someone has over something. It is also the effect a person or thing has over on another.

Behaviour: refers to the manner or conduct in which a person acts.

Youths: refers to people between the ages of 18 and 28.

Students: refers to those who attend the university.