Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Cultural influences have been one of the major concerns of developing countries especially in the face of globalization and its media counterpart. This study seeks to ascertain the level of exposure of Nigerian youth to foreign cultures from media globalization, the influence of these foreign cultures, and the relationship between exposure and cultural influences. The study selected Northern Nigeria (where culture is entrenched) and Southern Nigeria (where culture is flexible) using the Australian calculator to draw the sample size of 152. A questionnaire was used to collate data. Through the calculation of frequencies, correlations, and independent sample t-test, it was determined that exposure to global media is not as high with mean average at 3.5; influence was lower at 3.33 while there was a high relationship between exposure and influence with a positive linear correlation. Thus, debunking prior conclusions that strong cultural roots buffer foreign cultural effects. Therefore, the study recommends that cultural hybridity should be adopted in addition to the indigenization scheme in operation.