A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF “THE FAST AND FURIOUS” (ACTION FILM) AND ITS IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN OF STUDENTS

A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF “THE FAST AND FURIOUS” (ACTION FILM) AND ITS IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN OF STUDENTS

Background of Study

It is necessary to understand and respect the power of television and cinema as media for disseminating information in order to completely comprehend the research issue. Almost every home has access to television. It was first shown to the public in 1939 during the New York World's Fair.

Television, according to Jeffery Schrank (1985), is the greatest innovation of the twentieth century. On the other hand, others regard it as a huge wasteland that wastes viewers' time and transforms them into couch potatoes. Regardless, television is our time's most capable, unintentional electronic communication carrier. It brings live or recorded events to the doorsteps of millions of viewers. Most Nigerians today, educated or not, have unwittingly conferred the position of babysitter in their homes on television and cinema.

A film is a study that is captured as a series of moving images that may be viewed on television or at a movie theater. It also comes in the form of a roll-on sheet of light-sensitive plastic for use in photography. A film, often known as a movie or motion picture, is a collection of still images that move. It is created by photographing photos with cameras or by employing animation techniques or visual effects to create images. It is seen as an essential kind of entertainment, as well as a potent tool for educating or indoctrinating people, particularly children and youths.

Balogun (1987) divided films into European, American, Chinese, Nigerian, and long feature films, among other categories. Violent films, funny films, entertainment films, romantic films, and other genres may all be produced using these classifications. However, this study focuses on Action Films, which are regarded as violent films, and their influence on undergraduate students' social behavior patterns.

A film in which one or more heroes are thrown into a series of trials that demand athletic feats, prolonged battles, and frenzied pursuit is known as an action film. It usually involves a resourceful figure battling against extraordinary odds, such as life-threatening crises, a villain, or a chase that culminates with the hero's victory. CGI (Computer Generated Imargery) advancements have made it cheaper and easier to generate action sequences and other visual effects that formerly needed the efforts of real stunt squads. However, audiences' reactions to action films using considerable quantities of CGI have been divided, since films that employ computer animations to produce unrealistic and implausible situations are frequently panned. While action has always been a part of movies, the "action film" as a distinct genre emerged in the 1970s. The thriller and adventure cinema genres are strongly associated with the genre, and it may contain aspects of spy fiction and espionage. Although action films have long been a solid source of cash for studios, only a handful of them have received critical acclaim. In reaction to the developing social perception of gender emphasizing the strong female archetype, several action film directors incorporated female heroine in the 1990s and 2000s.

Children are impacted by media, and they learn by seeing, copying, and making behavior their own, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP, 2005). It is extremely distressing to see that there has been an upsurge in occurrences of aggressive behavior among youths since the start of action films.

Action movies have both negative (negative) and good (positive) effects on youths. Youths' exposure to action films influences their pro-social and anti-social behavior.

The fast and the furious' influence on adolescents' behavioural patterns or growth might be a pro-social conduct learned from films and imitated, such as sharing extrusion behavior, cooperation, speech creation, and so forth. Verbal anti-social behavior includes insults and physical hostility, as well as theft, bullying, and fighting.

Significant exposure to media violence, according to Liebert et al (1998), increases the probability of violent behavior in certain youths. Other side effects include sensitivity to other people's grief and suffering, as well as a tendency to grow scared of the environment around them, regarding it as a potentially hazardous place. The sexularization of American media has a major and deadly impact on youths in America, which has now expanded to other areas of the world via satellite television.

​​​​​​​Statement of the Problem

Film, as we all know, depicts a society's cultural, social, and life orientation (Liebert et al., 1998). This means that when young youths watch movies, they are exposed to the full situation depicted in the film, including the entire cultural and social milieu (Chima, 2019).

Because youths learn harmful behavior patterns and beliefs from the films they watch, it is vital to conduct a survey on the impact of action films on college students.

As a result, the research question is: what is the actual influence of the fast and furious on the social behavioural patterns of undergraduate students at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka?

​​​​​​​Objectives of Study

1. To find out the viewing habits of Nigerian Youths of action films
2. To find out the impact of action films on Nigerian youths.
3. To asses to what extent parents monitor the viewing habits of their youths.
4. To examine how what the youths watch actually affect their behaviour.​​​​​​​

Research Questions

This research is aimed at finding answers to the following questions;

1. What are the viewing habits of Nigerian youths of action films?
2. What are the impact of the fast and the furious on Nigerian youths?
3. To what extent do parents monitor the viewing habits of their youths?
4. How does what the youths watch actually affect their behaviour.

​​​​​​​Scope of the Study

This study is based on the impact of the fast and the furious on the social behavioural pattern of students and it is limited to students in faculty of Engineering, Social sciences, Law, Arts and Management sciences but since the characteristics of students are similar, the findings of the study will therefore be generalized to include all students in NnamdiAzikiwe university, Awka.

​​​​​​​Significance of the Study

This study is expected to be of great importance to parents, youths, students, researchers and even the government or policy makers who are interested in ascertaining the actual impact action films have on the students.

It will enable the youths to know the mode media can play in changing their attitude and behaviour. Research institutions and students will benefit immensely from this study because they will gain greater insight into the various factors that are likely to influence youths. The study will also help them to understand the internal and external influence that make individuals to act in certain ways.

Finally, the result of this research will enable the government and other policy makers to put adequate measures in place to check the movement of action films and provide vital information on how to address issue of the impact of action film on Nigeria youths.

​​​​​​​Operational Definition of Terms

1. Impact: The powerful effect action films have on students in Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
2. Undergraduates: For this study it is the students who are studying for their first degree in Nnamdi Azikiwe University
3. Social behaviour: Attitude of students exhibited towards action films.

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