On media acquired esoteric experiences

The development of new media has brought about myriad of channels through which pedagogical experiences are learnt consciously or unconsciously. Three systems of education exist in any nation: formal, informal and non-formal education. The formal education has curriculum and targets toward certification and development of mind of the people living in the society.

The informal is for skill acquisition and earning a living. Non-formal (also termed hidden curriculum) is esoteric or covert sort of learning that are acquired through peers and environment in which a person lives to pick diverse of experiences consciously and often time unconsciously irrespective of the medium employed. The major reason for establishing educational broadcasting stations is to educate, inform and entertain the viewers.

The function of either television or cable broadcasting television is perceived to be for entertainment due to esoteric or covert learning experiences acquired through these media on the daily basis.

A cursory look at most of the educational programmes aired by television broadcasting stations (federal and state) depict that very few youth being the strength and future of the nation watch them. This is connected with epileptic power supply, rural dwellers enjoys just handful of social amenities that would permit them to benefit from such programmes and time at which educative programmes are aired.

However, the so called elite and the few that can afford the purchase of cable television with monthly subscription, procured such for entertainment intentionally or unintentionally. Educational programmes have been virtually replaced with fun and entertainment programmes on the cable television stations due to considerable interest cultivated for watching them by large number of viewers.

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Some public offices were not helping matters by installing cable television that displays fun and entertainment programmes with less education and information programmes due to the trend at which people’s interest especially youth are focusing nowadays.

This unconscious learning for fun and entertainment via media, waste considerable time of the viewers than upgrading their knowledge bank and mind positively in order to enhance better environment to live. The most watched programmes by the youth are war, crime, nude, sex and horror movies that do not glorify positive knowledge acquisition nor leave room for challenging intellectualism positively.

Educational programmes that encourage the updating of the brain and mind on relevant global issues, grammar structure, promote harmonious living and development, sharing cultural diversity and cross breeding of cutting edge knowledge are less watched by the viewer either unconsciously or intentionally via the most watched cable television.

Therefore, I suggest that the government should endeavour to create a platform for public awareness on the values of feeding people’s mind with things that would unite the nation via mass media – what we feed our minds on is a direct product of the environment in which we shall live.

Also, it should be a collective responsibility for every individual to carefully and consciously be censoring what we and the youth especially is feeding our minds with in order to birth a better “ self” and Nigeria that would culminate positive development and progress.

Nathaniel Samuel, Ph.D.

[email protected].