AN EVALUATION OF MASS MEDIA INFLUENCE ON THE LIFESTYLE OF YOUTH (A CASE STUDY OF SAPELE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA)

Mass media refers to those media that are designed to be consumed by large audiences through the agencies of technology. These technologies include the Internet, television, newspapers, film and radio, which are used for mass communication. Mass media also include the organizations which control these technologies. The study adopted the Gratification theory, Agenda-Setting theory, Knowledge Gaps theory and “Spiral of Silence” theory which capture the social effects of the media. The study concluded that That regular exposure to the media influences the lsapelestyle of youths negatively and this is the reason for most negative behaviour among youths in our urban centre which is attributed to the media, That the media though could be a useful tool for disseminations of useful information and a useful tool for societal development, could also bring about social and moral decadence in the society if not properly managed and the educators, parents, community leaders, elites should also by this means help the youths confront the undignified and distorted images so prevalent in today media.