Influence of the Big Brother Naija Lockdown 2020 Edition Reality TV Show on Nigerians' Value Orientation During the COVID-19 Lockdown Measures

This chapter investigates how Nigerians consumed the Big Brother Naija Lockdown 2020 edition reality TV show featured on Nigerian television during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown. Understanding whether the reality TV show affected their value orientation was examined using a semi-structured online questionnaire through Google Forms and distributed via WhatsApp and Facebook. Data was obtained from 400 respondents between 7 October and 26 November 2020. Results indicate that more females watched reality TV show than their male counterparts. It was found that Nigerians increased their viewership of the 2020 edition in comparison to previous years, attributing this to the lockdown measures that restricted them to stay at home. The majority of respondents found the show morally offensive. A chi-square test was used to confirm no significant difference in how the moral content of the show was perceived by either gender. Recommendations are offered to better understand why males did not watch the show as much as females as well as why they found the show more acceptable even though they watched it less. This chapter probes into prolonged social isolation and television exposure in light of better understanding of psychological impacts and associated influences during public health crises. The research was anchored on the minimal effects theory.