Comparative media systems

Factors that Influence Nigeria’s Global System

A range of internal and external elements that significantly shape Nigeria's position and interactions on the global stage. These include its historical background, economic structure, social characteristics, and political dynamics.

Colonialism

The historical period and lasting impact of foreign political, economic, and cultural control on Nigeria's development and global identity, which continues to shape its institutions and international relations.

Economy

Nigeria's economic structure, including its reliance on natural resources (e.g., oil), trade relationships, and domestic productivity, which dictates its influence and challenges in the global market.

Language

The linguistic diversity within Nigeria and the role of English as an official language, impacting national unity, access to education, and effectiveness in international communication.

Literacy

The overall level of educational attainment and literacy rates among the Nigerian populace, affecting human capital development, civic participation, and national progress.

Political factors/systems

The nature of Nigeria's governance, democratic processes, political stability, and institutional frameworks, which profoundly influence its international standing and internal societal organization.

Culture

The rich and diverse cultural heritage, traditions, and social norms of Nigeria's many ethnic groups, influencing national identity, artistic expression, and societal values both domestically and internationally.

Traditional Media: Nature and Characteristics

Traditional media in Africa is a complex system deeply embedded in the rural and urban lives of its people. It functions as a pervasive network of communication at various societal levels, operating primarily on trust for its credibility.

Characteristics of Traditional Media

Traditional media systems possess a set of key characteristics:

1. Dynamic: Constantly evolving and adapting to societal changes and contemporary issues.
2. Ubiquitous: Present everywhere, pervading all aspects of daily life and social interaction.
3. Credible: Highly trusted by the community it serves, often due to its deep cultural roots and local relevance.
4. Definitive: Capable of conveying clear, authoritative messages that resonate deeply within the community.
5. Time-honoured: Rooted in long-standing traditions, customs, and practices passed down through generations.
6. Adaptable: Able to adjust to new contexts, modern influences, and changing communication needs.
7. Non-alienating: Fosters community inclusion and shared experiences, rather than creating divisions or exclusion.
8. Popular: Widely used and accepted across different demographics and regions due to its accessibility and cultural resonance.
9. Low-cost: Generally inexpensive to produce, maintain, and access, making it widely available.
10. Customary: Based on established social norms, cultural practices, and community conventions.
11. Integrative: Helps in bringing communities together, reinforcing social cohesion, and preserving cultural identity.

Six Traditional Modes of Communication

These are the distinct categories or methods through which traditional African societies transmit messages, share information, and facilitate social interaction historically and presently.

1. Instrumental Mode of Communication

Communication conveyed through the use of traditional musical instruments or other self-sounding objects that produce distinct sounds to transmit specific messages or signals.

Idiophone

These are self-sounding instruments that produce sound through their own vibration when they are beaten, struck by hand, or hit with a stick, without the use of an intermediary medium. The sound emanates directly from their surfaces, and these instruments are capable of producing their own messages or signals.
Examples: metal gong, wooden drum, bell, rattle, wood block.

Aerophone

These instruments produce sound as a result of the vibration of a column of air contained within them.
Examples: whistle, flute, deer horns.

Membranophone

These are instruments made from animal skin stretched over a frame; when the membranes are struck or beaten, they produce sounds that may serve as messages or signals.
Example: talking drum.

Symbolography

This involves the use of cryptic representation, often seen as pseudo-writing, on hard or soft surfaces such as the rind of bamboo, walls, or the ground. This symbolic writing may be exclusively employed by members of a specific clan.
Example: Nsibidi writing, known among communities in Cameroon, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states.

2. Demonstrative Mode of Communication

This mode consists of using music and signals to communicate with people. Music is employed not only for entertainment but also for the spread of ideas, doctrines, and ministry. Signals involve the instrumental mode of communication to signify or symbolize a communication event within a specific social setting, often accompanied by oral official messages.

3. Iconographic Mode of Communication

This is the use of objects (objectified communication) and floral media. It is a form of signification in which the object refers to a thing, event, or concept, which may have limited or universal application or significance.
Examples: presentation of charcoal, kolanut, white feather, mimosa, white pigeon, fowl, feather, white hair.

4. Extra-mundane Mode of Communication

Communication believed to happen between the living and the supernatural, or between the living and the dead. Feedback in this mode may come through intrapersonal processes, physical revelations, magical or otherworldly verbalization, obituaries, incantations, rituals, prayers, sacrifices, libations, or visions.

5. Visual Mode of Communication

This involves the use of color, dressing appearance, and general comportment to communicate certain feelings or emotions. The key advantages of this mode are the speed of impact of the message and the inherent freedom of visual information.

6. Institutional Mode of Communication

Refers to communication practices and structures used within established societal institutions or traditional governing bodies, providing a framework for organized information dissemination. (Specific details of its operations are often context-dependent.)

Functions of Traditional Media

Traditional media plays several crucial roles in African societies, serving as vital channels for community interaction and social development.

Key Functions of Traditional Media

Traditional media serves to:

1. Mobilize the people: It mobilizes individuals at the grassroots level towards community development and national consciousness.
2. Provide enlightenment: It is a significant source of cultural, political, and other educational enlightenment programs for the masses, guiding them towards self-actualization.
3. Offer entertainment: It functions as a dominant source of entertainment through traditional arts, cultural festivals, physical shows, and dramatic performances.
4. Promote unity: It is used for both inter-cultural and intra-cultural purposes, leading to greater growth and mass unity within society.
5. Express culture: It provides a vital platform for the expression of cultural and other diverse aspects of the society’s identity and values.

Challenges of Traditional Media

Despite its many strengths, traditional media faces several significant challenges that hinder its standardization, reach, and modernization.

Major Challenges Facing Traditional Media

Key challenges include:

1. Lack of standardized semantic structure: There is an absence of a standard semantic structure for the common description, conceptualization, and analysis of traditional media categories and practices.
2. Absence of appropriate universal language: There is a difficulty in finding a universally applicable language for the systematic description and study of traditional communication forms across diverse cultures.
3. Political system conflicts: Diversity in traditional political systems and conflicts with adopted modern systems often dictate, and sometimes complicate, the use of certain media structures, policies, and facilities, impacting communication processes.
4. Socio-economic influence: The socio-economic level of a society heavily influences communication activities. To improve traditional communication facilities and performance, the socio-economic life of the people must be altered to make them more receptive to messages or capable of possessing necessary communication hardware.
5. Scientific and technological problems: Issues related to scientific and technological development also significantly affect the advancement and widespread adoption of traditional media and its channels of communication in society.

How did colonialism continue to shape Nigeria's global system and identity?

It continues to shape Nigeria's institutions and international relations due to its lasting impact of foreign political, economic, and cultural control.

What dictates Nigeria's influence and challenges in the global market?

Nigeria's reliance on natural resources (e.g., oil), trade relationships, and domestic productivity.

How does English as an official language in Nigeria affect its global interactions?

It impacts national unity, access to education, and effectiveness in international communication.

What aspects of Nigeria's national progress are affected by its literacy rates?

Human capital development, civic participation, and national progress.

What is the profound influence of Nigeria's governance and political stability on its global position?

They profoundly influence its international standing and internal societal organization.

How does Nigeria's rich and diverse cultural heritage influence its global system?

By influencing national identity, artistic expression, and societal values both domestically and internationally.

What is the primary operational basis for credibility in traditional media systems in Africa?

It operates primarily on trust for its credibility.

What does it mean for traditional media to be "ubiquitous"?

It means traditional media is present everywhere, pervading all aspects of daily life and social interaction.

Why is traditional media often considered "credible" within its community?

It is highly trusted by the community it serves, often due to its deep cultural roots and local relevance.

How does traditional media foster integration within communities?

It helps in bringing communities together, reinforcing social cohesion, and preserving cultural identity.

What is the primary method of communication in the Instrumental Mode of Communication?

Through the use of traditional musical instruments or other self-sounding objects that produce distinct messages or signals.

How do Idiophones produce sound? Provide an example.

They produce sound through their own vibration when beaten or struck, without an intermediary medium. Example: metal gong, wooden drum, bell, rattle.

How do Aerophones produce sound? Provide an example.

They produce sound as a result of the vibration of a column of air contained within them. Example: whistle, flute, deer horns.

What is a Membranophone composed of, and how does it produce sound? Provide an example.

They are made from animal skin stretched over a frame; when struck, the membranes produce sounds that serve as messages or signals. Example: talking drum.

What is Symbolography and where might it be exclusively used? Provide an example.

It involves the use of cryptic representation (pseudo-writing) on surfaces like bamboo rind, walls, or the ground, often exclusively employed by members of a specific clan. Example: Nsibidi writing.

What dual purpose does music serve, alongside signals, in the Demonstrative Mode of Communication?

Music is employed for entertainment and for the spread of ideas, doctrines, and ministry. Signals involve instrumental communication to symbolize events, often with oral messages.

What is the basis of communication in the Iconographic Mode, and what can the objects signify? Provide examples.

It is the use of objects (objectified communication) and floral media, where an object refers to a thing, event, or concept with limited or universal significance. Examples: charcoal, kolanut, white feather, white pigeon.

In the Extra-mundane Mode of Communication, between whom is communication believed to happen, and what forms can feedback take?

Communication is believed to happen between the living and the supernatural, or between the living and the dead. Feedback can come through intrapersonal processes, physical revelations, magical verbalization, obituaries, incantations, rituals, or visions.

What elements are used in the Visual Mode of Communication to convey feelings, and what are its key advantages?

It involves the use of color, dressing appearance, and general comportment to communicate feelings. Its key advantages are speed of impact and inherent freedom of visual information.

What does the Institutional Mode of Communication refer to?

It refers to communication practices and structures used within established societal institutions or traditional governing bodies, providing a framework for organized information dissemination.

How does traditional media mobilize individuals for community development?

It mobilizes individuals at the grassroots level towards community development and national consciousness.

What kind of enlightenment programs does traditional media primarily offer?

Cultural, political, and other educational enlightenment programs for the masses, guiding them towards self-actualization.

Through what means does traditional media function as a dominant source of entertainment?

Through traditional arts, cultural festivals, physical shows, and dramatic performances.

For what purposes is traditional media used to promote unity?

It is used for both inter-cultural and intra-cultural purposes, leading to greater growth and mass unity within society.

What vital platform does traditional media provide regarding society's identity?

It provides a vital platform for the expression of cultural and other diverse aspects of the society’s identity and values.

What is a significant challenge related to the standardization of traditional media categories?

There is an absence of a standard semantic structure for the common description, conceptualization, and analysis of traditional media categories and practices.

What difficulty arises when systematically studying traditional communication forms across diverse cultures?

There is difficulty in finding a universally applicable language for the systematic description and study of traditional communication forms across diverse cultures.

How do traditional and modern political systems present a challenge to the use of traditional media?

Diversity in traditional political systems and conflicts with adopted modern systems often dictate, and sometimes complicate, the use of certain media structures, policies, and facilities, impacting communication processes.

How does a society's socio-economic level impact its traditional communication activities?

The socio-economic level of a society heavily influences communication activities; to improve traditional communication, the socio-economic life of people must be altered to make them more receptive or capable of possessing necessary hardware.

What kind of problems significantly affect the advancement and widespread adoption of traditional media channels?

Issues related to scientific and technological development significantly affect the advancement and widespread adoption of traditional media and its channels of communication in society.