https:journals.sau.edu.ng/index.php/sjmas SAU Journal of Management and Social Sciences ISSN: 2550-7302), Vol. 6, Number 1 June, 2021.

Perspectives of Lagos State Public Relations Professionals on Sexual Portrayals and Expressions of Housemates in Naija Reality Show

Oludare Ebenezer Ogunyombo, PhD & Gift Chidinma Ogbonna Department of Mass Communication Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Nigeria [email protected]; [email protected] +234 802 3878 200; +234 802 9395 087

Abstract This study was carried out to examine the perspectives of PR professionals on the sexual portrayals and expressions of the (BBN) housemates vis-à-vis its socio-cultural influences and impact on sexual exploration among Nigerian youth. The public relations profession was purposively selected for this study because the ultimate summative evaluation of programmes and practice of public relations is the contribution to positive social and cultural change. The researchers adopted a survey method. Using convenience sampling technique, 85 active members on the WhatsApp platform of the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations were sampled. A total of 79 respondents successfully filled and submitted the 15-item questionnaire which was administered online through Google Forms. Findings from the study revealed that the sexual portrayals and expressions of the Big Brother Naija housemates are a reflection of the current realities of the Nigerian society; although, an aberration from Nigeria‟s socio- cultural values on sexuality. It also showed that the sexual portrayals and expressions of the BBN housemates are significantly influenced by the Western culture and are capable of promoting sexual immorality among the youth in Nigeria because most of them watch the show because of the sexual portrayals and expressions of the housemates whom they see as models. Although, the researchers identified advertisers‟ interest in promoting the BBN show, it recommended that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) should intensify the scrutinisation of the Big Brother Naija show to conform with the broadcasting codes and uphold Nigeria‟s socio-cultural values which adore sexual morality and decency.

Keywords: Big Brother Housemates, Big Brother Naija, Public Relations, Sexual Morality/Immorality, Sexual Portrayals and Expressions, Socio-Cultural Values

Introduction A major function of the mass media is the transfer of culture, which to a large extent has now gone beyond borders and continents due to the advancement in media technology. This role becomes critical looking at the place of culture in the state of any society. Jekayinka (as cited in Apuke, 2017) agrees that “culture includes the total repertoire of human actions, which are socially transmitted from one generation to another.” Ahmad, Ogunsola & Halilu (2017) further note that:

Culture cultivates human‟s conception of how things exist and interrelate because it defines what is good, what is bad and what should be done about them. Furthermore, the expansiveness of one culture and erosion of another 90

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are well-instructed in the theory of cultural imperialism and dialectic of culture industries wherein culture is implied as a set of products manufactured for worldwide distribution and mass consumption. The speed of this effect has been accentuated by the advent of visualisation of motion pictures which has posed different meanings to people regarding whether to accept or reject television programmes as a blessing to their cultural values, especially in Africa, following the change in behavioural patterns particularly among the youths (p.76).

Regarding this level of infiltration, Signorielli & Kahlenberg (as cited in Apuke, 2017) note that “television is the first centralised cultural influence to permeate both the initial and final years of life as well as the years between” (pg. 22). The possibility of this then put into danger the culture of countries like Nigeria which to a large extent has simply adopted some foreign cultures in the name of driving development. Sadly, some of these cultures portend challenges that are tilting towards cultural imperialism and amidst all that is the issue of moral debasement as noted by Umeogu & Ojiakor (2014). Umeogu & Ojiakor (2014) posit that regarding moral debasement of the African/Nigerian culture, there have been debates about what morality is and how it is measured, particularly now with the influence of television. For instance, Onyechi (2013) notes that in an attempt to deal with their sexuality, adolescents lean towards the mass media, particularly the television for sexual information. An excuse for such action could be the assumption that the Nigerian cultural environment is not permissive regarding discussing issues around sexuality. Therefore, instead of the family, mass media images of sexuality have become major influencers of sexual attitude and behaviour for adolescents. Unfortunately, some of these attitudes have turned out to be risky sexual behaviours. In the mix of the socialisation function of the mass media is the advertisers‟ interest. According to Gerbner (as cited in Ahmad et al 2017), this interest significantly impacts what eventually becomes the mass media messages, particularly as they influence the socio-cultural well-being of audiences in developing countries from the “developed West” through television. One of such programmes that have drawn the advertisers‟ interest vis-à-vis debates around its socio-cultural influence on its audience, particularly the youth in Nigeria, is the Big Brother Naija (BBN) reality show. An adaptation of (BBA), Big Brother Naija is an 18+ classified reality television show (RTV) on cable TV that features male and female contestants who are kept in a “Big Brother House” for some days while been tested with some daily challenges (tasks). The Big Brother concept originated from a 1949 novel written by George Orwell titled „Nineteen Eighty-Four‟ but it was first introduced as a show in the Netherlands in 1999. Eventually, the concept grew to create variations such as the “Celebrity Big Brother” amongst other versions that become globally accepted. The housemates are expected to act naturally under any circumstance including expressing their love for each other, anger or any other form of personality disposition and avoid been nominated for eviction until the last day (Drotner, 2002; Lwahas, 2017; Folayan, Folayan & Oyetayo, 2019). As of 2019, there 91 https:journals.sau.edu.ng/index.php/sjmas SAU Journal of Management and Social Sciences ISSN: 2550-7302), Vol. 6, Number 1 June, 2021. have been four seasons of the BBN show. Although the first season was not tagged, by the second season, the show adopted the use of a slogan to depict the nature of the challenge that is expected among the housemates in each season. Thus, the second season was tagged “See Gobee” (meaning „see trouble‟ in the local parlance), the third season tagged “Double Wahala” (meaning „double trouble‟ in the local parlance) while the fourth season was tagged “Pepper Dem” (meaning „punish them‟ in local parlance) (Channels TV, 2019; Lenbang, 2019; Oseni, 2019). Regarding the concept, Drotner (2002) notes that:

In many ways, Big Brother is an example of seminal trends in the emerging media culture. Few will dispute that media culture has become increasingly complex over the last two decades with the advent of a plethora of new media technologies and a concomitant reshuffling of media institutions, forms of expression and range of uses (p.12).

For instance, many have questioned the level of sexual portrayals and expressions of the housemates in Big Brother Naija. These expressions are all forms of sexually erotic portrayals of the BBN housemates while in the Big Brother house. These may include but not limited to kissing, smooching, having sexual intercourse, skimpy dressing that exposes sexual parts such as breast, chest packs, underwear etc. of the housemates. It also includes actions or scenes such as bathing scenes in the BBN house, alcoholism and vulgarism (Yakubu-Hammer, 2017). In his critique, Nigerian Noble Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka maintained that the Big Brother Africa, from which the BBN emanated, lacked contents that represent African cultural values because of how the housemates are depicted as sexual figures in the show (Jacobs, 2007). Duru (2015) notes that “this whole scenario wears an irresistible paradoxical look when it is kept side by side with a moral culture that places strict restrictions on such sexual indiscretion” (p.246). Notably, the BBN show creates a perception challenge within the socio-cultural context of Nigeria‟s value regarding sexual portrayals and expressions. Although it is expected that an organisation (which in this instance are the producers of the BBN show) would seek to understand the societal nuances and cultural tendencies of the society before introducing a programme, such socio-cultural scanning and trend analysis, which is a major function of public relations, appears to be lacking. Regarding this, Broom (2009) submits that the ultimate summative evaluation of programmes and practice of public relations is their contribution to positive social and cultural change. Besides, CRAM (2020) notes that public relations experts interact with both societal and corporate culture, hence they “should be able to distinguish what would work in one culture and what would not work depending on the context.” The connection between public relations and socio-cultural issues as established from the foregoing provides the basis for this study. Although, there exist studies (Obono & Obono, 2009; Onyechi, 2013; Uwom, Nwolikpe & Ekundayo, 2015; Alawode & Fatonji, 2015) on the influence of television programmes that depict sexual and erotic scenes on the Nigerian audience particularly the youth, extant literature did not show an abundance of works that examine the perspectives of public relations professionals in this regard. 92

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On RTVs, some studies (Patino, Kaltcheva & Smith, 2011; Chikafa & Mateveke, 2012; Nwafor & Ezike, 2015; Amanyi, Obayi & Oyebuchi, 2019; Folayan et al 2019) have examined how young people connect with them and how RTVs such as Big Brother reflect or influence African identity, press freedom, national interest and moral conducts among the youth. However, studies that explore the perspectives of communication experts such as PR professionals for trend analysis in this regard seem limited. Specifically, studies on the sexual portrayals and expressions of BBN housemates vis-à- vis their socio-cultural influences, particularly from the perspectives of communication experts such as the PR professionals appear limited. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by articulating the perspectives of the PR professionals with the mindset of generating thoughts around RTVs and their socio-cultural relevance in society. Essentially, understanding the perspectives of this class of communication professionals on the subject matter would help broadcast programme producers establish mutual understanding with their stakeholders whom they seek to entertain with their programmes. It would also expand the literature on the socio-cultural influences of broadcast programmes to push new frontiers for alignment or re-alignment of such programmes within a given society.

Research Questions The specific research questions are: 1. What are the perspectives of PR professionals on the sexual portrayals and expressions of the Big Brother Naija housemates? 2. What are the perspectives of PR Professionals on how the sexual portrayals and expressions of Big Brother Naija housemates impact Nigeria‟s socio-cultural values regarding sexuality? 3. What are the perspectives of the PR professionals on the influence of the sexual portrayals and expressions of the Big Brother Naija housemates on sexual exploration among Nigerian youth?

Big Brother Naija Show-The Debate According to Hill (2005) and Barton (2007), reality television shows (RTVs) are a genre of television programmes that showcase unscripted and real-life expressions from relatively unknown individuals who most times are not professional actors. This genre of television programme became prominent in the early 1990s with "Real World." By the early 2000s, series such as Survivor, Idols and Big Brother became popular, getting global franchises. However, reality television programmes have been criticised for being too provocative and they are perceived as a disturbing representation of society. For instance, Wilfred, Grace & Joy (2019) note that the South African version of Big Brother proved to be highly controversial for its overtly sexual content. Earlier, Hyde- Clarke (2004) notes that:

Big Brother was probably the first South African reality show to create a storm… although, a commercial success, the large and diverse audience

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created complications for the producers due to audience members‟ interpretations of decency and language. There were several complaints about the airing of pictures of nudity (bare bums), and one of the more „conservative‟ countries, Malawi, cancelled the show due to its „immorality‟ (p.214).

A further argument against RTVs like BBN is that they present dissonance regarding how the viewers perceive the realities within their societies, particularly the youth. Critics fear that the youth may perceive what is shown on the RTVs as a reflection of their culture regarding attitudes and behaviours and adjust their perception of themselves accordingly (Hyde-Clarke, 2004; Wilfred et al 2019). Interestingly, in the case of Big Brother Naija, the setting of Big Brother house shows some socio-cultural connections with the Nigerian environment. Aside from having an all Nigerian housemate, the House at a time was designed to showcase the green-white-green colours of the Nigerian flag (Lwahas, 2017; Folayan et al 2019). Some analysts have leaned on this potential of a connection with the Nigerian identity to argue that the Big Brother show has some positive impacts in endearing political and socio- cultural unity among Africans and indeed Nigerians. These optimists also opine that the show provides an opportunity for a lively engagement of Africans across borders because it commands a large audience viewership across people of different socio-cultural and socio-political inclinations (Lwahas, 2017). For instance, the Chairman of the BBN production company, Storm Vision Limited, Obi Asika expressed hope that the BBN show can unify Nigerians and can give others a better understanding of the country which hitherto was described as threatening and feared. Asika states that “Big Brother Nigeria produced that seminal moment for Nigerian urban culture, for Nigerian youth culture. BBN provided a window into the hearts and minds of our people and Africa fell in love with us and long may it continue.” (Ayomide 2017, para. 4, 9). Regardless of these attempts to positively position the BBN show, Anazia (2018) contends that besides its entertainment value, the BBN show has raised several cogent debates about morality and the essence of hard work largely because of the huge rewards usually given to the winners. These perspectives have put parents, religious leaders, social change agents and the youth at a crossroad on what may be right socially, culturally and religiously.

Empirical Review Scholars have attempted studies on sexual portrayals in films and television including reality shows. Patino et al (2011) in their study examined the level of connectedness to reality television shows among young people, particularly as advertisers seek more programmes through which they can connect with this group of audience. Adopting a national Harris Online survey of 1,098 preteens and teens in the United States of America, the study showed that young people who struggled for popularity and physical attractiveness were more likely to feel connected to reality television programmes. More so, the difference in connectedness between those who valued popularity and those who

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SAU Journal of Management and Social Sciences https:journals.sau.edu.ng/index.php/sjmas (ISSN: 2550-7302), Vol. 6, Number 1 June, 2021. did not was greater for teens than among preteens. Conversely, teens who craved excitement were less likely to be connected to reality programming. Chikafa et al (2012) studied the „Africa‟ in Big Brother Africa vis-à-vis the concept of reality television and African identity among undergraduates in the University of Zimbabwe. Using focus group discussion and content analysis methods, the findings revealed that 66.6% of the audience watch BBA for entertainment, 29.6% watch for information while 3.7% watch for passing the time. Some of the male students said they watch BBA so they will not appear clueless when having discussions on the programme with friends while others watch because they want to compare their lives with those of the stars in the reality shows. Regarding the socio-cultural debates about Big Brother, the findings showed that the students are not perturbed as some of them would love to participate in the show despite over 60% of the respondents accepting that BBA was not African. Thus, it was concluded that the African identities depicted in BBA may be the representations of the contemporary African “realities‟ which has been largely influenced by globalisation. Nwafor et al (2015) investigated the viewership of Big Brother Naija and its influence on the moral conducts of undergraduate students of Ebonyi state university, Abakaliki, Nigeria. Using a survey, findings from the study revealed that the Big Brother Naija show influences the perception and attitude of the students towards decency and morality. It was also found that some of the respondents learnt what the researchers described as “technical kidnapping skills” while others learnt how to cohabit with the opposite sex in their off-campus hostels. The findings further established that what the youth learnt from watching the show contributes to cases of rape, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion and abortion-related deaths among them. It was therefore recommended that there should be a restructuring of the programme to reflect a more “indigenous way of life.” Using content analysis, Amanyi et al (2019) examined the social media coverage of the 2018 Big Brother Naija show by studying comments on the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram fan pages. The study was anchored on the agenda-setting theory and framing theory. Findings from the study revealed that several frames were used in social media coverage. Some of the frames include the morality frame, nudity frame and reality frame. The nudity frame had the highest percentage at 53.4%. It was also revealed that the social media posts reflected a significant level of negative criticism thus making the coverage unfavourable. Folayan et al (2019) examined how the continuous broadcast of the Big Brother Naija show could be a challenge to what press freedom should be vis-à-vis the impact on national interest and the role of the mass media as the transmitter of social heritage, culture and tradition. Using a survey, the study interrogated the youth in Lagos and Osun state. Findings from the study revealed that the respondents found the show entertaining and as an escape from boredom. Regarding using BBN as a tool for promoting national identity and cultural values in Nigeria, over half (52%) of the respondents did not agree with the notion although a significant 48% did. Interestingly, the majority (68%) of the respondents agreed that BBN could be a good tool for promoting the history of Nigeria 95 https:journals.sau.edu.ng/index.php/sjmas SAU Journal of Management and Social Sciences ISSN: 2550-7302), Vol. 6, Number 1 June, 2021. and another 58% stated that it can be a tool for promoting unity. By these, the study concluded that the BBN show could serve a functional purpose in promoting national interest and identity in Nigeria.

Theoretical Framework

Modeling Theory of Mass Media The modelling theory was propounded by Albert Bandura, a developmental and educational psychologist. The theory emphasises the role of social learning through observation based on the assumption that people adopt behaviour by observing others particularly through the characters portrayed in the media. The theory emphasised how these observations influence the behaviours, knowledge, attitudes and values of the viewers. Essentially, the theory assumes that imitation is more likely to happen where the model (individual) is highly respected and his/her activities are significantly recognised as expressed by the housemates in Big Brother Naija. When this happens, the observer gradually reinforces whatever he or she might have learnt (seen) and would most likely try it at some point (Communication Theory, n. d). However, modelling can happen as a positive or negative process. For instance, violence is negative modelling and any activity that is of rewarding manner like social service is positive modelling. For modelling to take place, the stages include seeing an action portrayed in the media; the viewer identifies with the actor; the viewer imitates the actor and the viewer gets motivated if the activity gets some rewards. A major objective in this study is to interrogate how the sexual portrayals and expressions of housemates in the BBN show may influence sexual exploration among Nigerian youth who may revere these housemates as they watch the show; hence, the relevance of the theory to this study.

Methodology The researchers adopted a quantitative research approach and used the survey method. The population for this study is the 250 active members of the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). These are members who regularly participate in the activities of the chapter such as the monthly meetings (Lagos State NIPR Chapter, 2020). Purposive sampling was used to select public relations professionals among all other professions due to their role as a purveyor of socio-cultural ideals in any society (Broom, 2009). Tongco (as cited in Talabi, Ogundeji & Adedowole, 2016) agrees that purposive sampling is the most effective when studying certain cultural domain where experts are involved. For the sample size, the convenience sampling method was adopted in selecting the estimated 85 active members on the WhatsApp group of the Chapter due to the limitations in movement occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic. Convenience involves getting participants wherever you can find them and typically wherever is convenient without any inclusion criteria because all subjects are invited to participate (Research Methodology, 2019). The research instrument used for this study was a 15-item online questionnaire shared through Google Form on the WhatsApp group of the Lagos State chapter of the NIPR. The data were automatically collated as provided by the Google form analytics and descriptively presented in simple percentages. 96

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Data Analysis and Presentation The demographic analysis of the respondents shows that of the 79 successfully filled forms, the majority (60.8%) were males and most of them (46.8%) were between 31-40 years old followed by those between 41-50 years old at 24.1%. The years of experience is almost evenly distributed as those with less than 5 years represents 21.5%, those with 6- 10 years experience were 29.1%, while respondents with 11-15 years experience formed 27.8%.

Research Question 1: What are the perspectives of PR professionals on sexual portrayals and expressions of the Big Brother Naija housemates? Three items on the questionnaire were used to probe this question. On the frequency of BBN viewership among the respondents, 53.8% of them watch BBN occasionally, 26.9% do not watch BBN at all while 19.2% regularly watch the programme. For those who either watch regularly or occasionally, 44% watch for relaxation, 19.8% watch to enjoy the intrigues of the housemates, 5.2% watch because their clients are part sponsors of the show while another 5.2% claimed that the show teaches them about relationship management. For those who do not regularly watch the show, 26% believe that the show teaches Nigerian youth sexual immorality, 23% simply believe it is an indecent show, 21% only watch to pass away time while 10% simply do not like the show. Regarding the sexual portrayals and expression of the housemates, 32.1% of the PR professionals perceive these expressions as a reflection of the realities in Nigeria society. While 24.4% of them believe that these expressions were scripted by the show producers, 16.7% of them think that the expressions are overacted by the housemates. Also, 11.5% of the respondents believe that the sexual portrayals and expressions reflect the personalities of the housemates, even as 9% of the respondents see nothing wrong at all in the sexual portrayals and expression of the BBN housemates. From the foregoing, it can be deduced that the majority of the PR professionals perceive the sexual portrayals and expressions in Big Brother Naija as a reflection of the realities within Nigeria society. More so, the fact that the sexual portrayals and expressions of BBN housemates can contribute to teaching Nigerian youth sexual immorality is a major reason why most of the respondents do not watch the show.

Research Question 2: What are the perspectives of PR professionals on how the sexual portrayals and expressions of Big Brother Naija housemates impact Nigeria’s socio-cultural values on sexuality? Three items in the questionnaire were postulated to answer this question. On the influence of western culture on the sexual portrayals and expressions of the BBN housemates, 67% of the respondents believe that there is an influence, 21.5% think otherwise while the remaining 11.4% were neutral. Regarding the impact of the sexual portrayals and expressions of the housemates on Nigeria‟s socio-cultural values on sexuality, 60.3% of the respondents believe that it does so negatively, 25.7% thinks otherwise while the rest remain neutral. Assessing the influence of this impact on the Nigerian youth, 78.4% of the respondents agreed that it is influencing them and reflecting 97 https:journals.sau.edu.ng/index.php/sjmas SAU Journal of Management and Social Sciences ISSN: 2550-7302), Vol. 6, Number 1 June, 2021. in their approach to issues on sexuality, 10.1% disagreed while 11.4% remained neutral. Although 41.8% of the respondents believe that the BBN show is only a marketing tool, a significant 29.1% of them believe that BBN is an aberration from the Nigerian culture. When the 29.1% is combined with the 12.7% who opined that BBN show is a tool for cultural imperialism, a cumulative 41.8% of the respondents would have expressed their opinion regarding the undesirable socio-cultural undertones of the show in the Nigerian society. Therefore, it can be deduced that the majority of the PR professionals expressed concerns about the negative influence of sexual portrayals and expressions of the BBN housemates vis-à-vis its impact on Nigeria‟s socio-cultural values on sexuality and the Nigerian youth.

Research Question 3: What are the perspectives of the PR professionals on the influence of the sexual portrayals and expressions of the Big Brother Naija housemates on sexual exploration among Nigerian youth? Responding to this question, 55.6% of the respondents believe that the youth watch the BBN show because of the sexual portrayals and expressions of the housemates, 26.6% disagreed while 17.7% choose to remain neutral. This notion was further reinforced because 60.7% of the respondents agreed to the high level of pornography on the show although 27.9% disagreed while 11.4% were neutral. Significantly, 58.2% of the respondents believe that the sexual portrayals and expressions of the housemates in the Big Brother Naija show would promote sexual indecency among Nigerians particularly the youth although 31.7% of them do not think so. Based on these findings, it can be deduced that most of the PR professionals believe that BBN would influence sexual exploitation among Nigerian youth as some of them watch the show because of the sexual portrayals and expressions of the housemates which have subtle pornography.

Discussion of Findings This study sets out to examine the perspectives of PR professionals on the sexual portrayals and expressions of the Big Brother Naija housemates; the socio-cultural impact on Nigeria‟s value on sexuality and its influence on sexual exploration among Nigerian youth. Findings from the study revealed that among those who either regularly or occasionally watch the BBN show, 44.4% watch for relaxation. Other reasons for viewership include likeness for the relationship dynamics and intrigues among the housemates; search for marketing opportunities for the client and the perception that the show teaches viewers about managing relationships. This finding is consistent with that of Chikafa et al (2012) which revealed that 66.6% of the undergraduates in the University of Zimbabwe watch the Big Brother Africa show for entertainment, 29.6% watch for information while 3.7% watch for passing the time. For those who do not regularly watch, 21.3% believe it teaches sexual immorality while 18.7% of the respondents simply feel it is an indecent show. Responses from most (32.1%) of the PR professionals further showed that the sexual portrayals and expressions of the BBN housemates reflect the realities of such activities within Nigerian society. Although some of them believe that these expressions are scripted (24.4%) or overacted by the housemates (16.7%), the fact that the

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SAU Journal of Management and Social Sciences https:journals.sau.edu.ng/index.php/sjmas (ISSN: 2550-7302), Vol. 6, Number 1 June, 2021. expressions are tied mostly to the realities of the Nigerian society raises concern. If these findings are to be placed side-by-side as the reason why some of the respondents do not watch the BBN show, then conclusions from some earlier studies would be of interest. For instance, Nwafor et al (2015) found that the BBN show influences the perception and attitude of the youth towards decency and morality. Considering what could be described as the explicit sexual relations among both sexes of the housemates on the show, the study found that the youth learn and are encouraged to leave with the opposite sex in their off-campus hostels by watching the BBN show. In some instances, the situation has contributed to cases of rape, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion and abortion-related deaths among the youth. These findings align with the assumptions of the modelling theory that imitation is more likely to happen where the media model is highly respected among the viewing audience. Also, at some point, the observer gets immersed into believing the model, what he/she has seen him/her do and probably carry out such action (Communication Theory, n. d). This study further revealed a clear case of cultural alienation or disorientation because most of the PR professionals stated that the BBN show is indecent and teaches the Nigerian youth sexual immorality without any restraint from both the viewers and the contestants. Most (67%) of the respondents identified the influence of Western culture on how the housemates depict themselves sexually. Another 60.3% stated that these depictions negatively portray Nigeria‟s socio-cultural values on sexuality which adore a high level of sexual morality and decency. The professionals believe that the show is a sad reflection of how values have been eroded in the Nigerian society “allowing the producers to take undue advantage that sex sells to further destroy an already bad situation.” Consequently, the sexual portrayals and expressions of the BBN housemates present some socio-cultural challenges in the Nigerian context. Alawode et al (2015) agreed that the Nigerian movie industry has become an agenda-setter for sexual perversion among young people rather than been an agenda-setter for sexuality education. To address this situation, Nwafor et al (2015) recommended that the producers of the show should adhere to the principles of broadcasting in Nigeria and also restructure the show to reflect a “more indigenous way of life.” This recommendation becomes quite pertinent given the findings of Patino et al (2011) that young people who struggled for popularity and physical attractiveness were more likely to feel connected to reality- television programmes and this was especially pronounced in adolescence. These assertions corroborate the assumptions of the modelling theory which hold that people would adopt the character or behaviour of media actors that they feel connected to, particularly when such actor command their respect, although such influence may be either positive or negative. Therefore, it may be agreed that despite the criticism, RTVs may serve some good within the context of the propositions of the media modelling theory as established by Ayeni (2017) and Folayan et al (2019). Essentially, RTVs such as BBN can serve as a medium to present and create awareness about societal issues, hence the need for rethinking the concept of the show within the Nigerian socio-cultural context which holds dearly sexual morality and decency (Duru, 2015).

Conclusion This study was carried out to explore the perspectives of public relations professionals on the sexual portrayals and expressions of the Big Brother Naija housemates. From the 99 https:journals.sau.edu.ng/index.php/sjmas SAU Journal of Management and Social Sciences ISSN: 2550-7302), Vol. 6, Number 1 June, 2021. findings, the researchers concluded that the sexual portrayals and expressions of the Big Brother Naija housemates are a reflection of the current realities of the Nigerian society, although an aberration from Nigeria‟s socio-cultural values on sexuality. The researchers also concluded that the sexual portrayals and expressions of the BBN housemates are significantly influenced by the Western culture to which the origin of the Big Brother concept is linked. Finally, the researchers concluded that the sexual portrayals and expressions of the BBN housemates are capable of promoting sexual immorality among the youth in Nigeria, largely because of the subtle pornographic tendencies, thereby making a bad case of sexual immorality worse among the Nigerian youth.

Recommendations Based on the findings and conclusion, the researchers hereby recommend that: 1. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) should make more efforts at scrutinising the contents of the Big Brother Naija show particularly the sexual portrayals and expressions of the housemates to conform to the broadcasting codes and uphold Nigeria‟s socio-cultural values which adore sexual morality and decency. 2. Socio-cultural agents should intensify lobbying to review aspects of the NBC codes that may endear the protection of Nigeria‟s cultural values from negative media influences such as those exhibited in the sexual portrayals and expressions of the BBN housemates. 3. Government and non-governmental agencies should intensify their sensitisation programmes to educate the youth on the negative consequences of making uninformed decisions due to what they watch in the media, particularly regarding their sexuality.

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