Twitter influence on youth perception of celebrities in Nigerian music industry

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Interest in the famous seems to be a human phenomenon that goes as far back as recorded history. In ancient Greece and Rome, people created their gods as very human-like beings, complete with character flaws. Humans often appear captivated by those they see as glamorous. In the contemporary world, this phenomenon is being facilitated by the media. Media perform such functions as status-conferral and agenda-setting, and thus have power to set agendas on issues and confer status on personalities in the societies in which they are found. Today, young people are exposed, to an immense range of influential figures through twitter (a microblogging site). Scholars have been led to interrogate how this influence young people, and to broaden the scope of celebrity studies. This study aimed at investigating twitter influence on youth perception of celebs in Nigerian music industry, and to determine whether they are affected more by the old and new musicians. Based on the theory that media users can model after figures portrayed in the media, the study shall drew a sample size of one hundred and eighty undergraduates from mass communication  and surveyed young people between the ages of 17 and 25.