Don Warns on Wrongful Adoption of Technology in Mass Media

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Concerned by negative effects of wholesome adoption of new innovations, a university don has advised developing nations to devise strategies that would mitigate the negative impacts of the wrongful adoption and application of technology in the mass media.  

A professor of Mass Communication at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ayodele Odunlami, gave the advice, as part of his recommendations, in the in the 119th Inaugural Lecture of the institution,  which he delivered.

The Inaugural Lecture was entitled “(Re) Moving The Ancient Landmarks? How Technology Deconstructs The Mass Media.”

The lecture, which was attended by principal officers of the university, stakeholders, students’ religious and traditional institutions.  

Odunlami said that the recommendations he proffered, were necessary to safeguard the sanctity of the remaining ancient landmarks of journalism profession as the Fourth Estate of the Realm.

The don said that while the velocity of technological innovations is high, teachers of journalism should be conscious of its negative effects and abuse of new innovations.

He said: “While it is important to expose students to the latest trends and techniques in technological advances and innovations in the mass media, it is unrealistic to expose students and media training institutions to all the frequent and never-ending technological advances in delivery methods and presentation techniques without a basic understanding of the principles and philosophy, including ethical implications of their adoption.

“This is more-so because media training institutions in Africa do not have the wherewithal to win the technology catch-up game.

“It is also high time every Nigerian, and indeed all African journalism institutions, adopted the converged curricula enunciated by the National Universities Commission (NUC) with the objective to train rather than teach journalism /mass communication students’ critical thinking, reporting and writing across media platforms.”

He said that the practice is necessary, because the reality of media convergence makes it imperative and expedient to equip students with a well-rounded education that focuses on developing, writing and story-telling skills, coupled with critical thinking, visual literary skills as well as how to package stories for various media outlets with emphasis on professional values.

He added: “Since the political economy of African media has its peculiar nuances which do not blend stricto-sensu with the template of the radical/critical pluralist tradition of the West, there is the need to mainstream African experience in our journalism teaching and learning process.

“To accomplish this goal of African media scholars need to shift African languages to the centre of learning, teaching and theorising on media.

“As it were, the extant journalism education and training in Africa is too grafted to Western models and paradigms. From independence till today, the theories, models, and application of key concepts that guide our media practice and education in Africa are steeped in foreign contents.

“There is little in our journalism training and education that speaks to African ways of communicating.

“Furthermore, government in concert with stakeholders in the mass media industry needs to invest in massive digital media literacy skills to mitigate the pervasive phenomenon of fake news in the country.

“Similarly, new courses that address the realities of the digital age and their consequences on the emotional and mental states of the practitioners and the audiences of mass communication must be introduced in journalism curricula with emphasis on both conceptual and skills relevant to global contemporary needs.  

“Examples of such courses include, Trauma Literacy Education, Media/Digital Literacy and Fact-Checking, Solution Journalism, Precision Journalism, Journalism of Empathy, Ad Creativity and Innovation and Direct and Data-Based Marketing among others.

“It is not enough to merely lament and just pay lip-service to the shifting or removal of the traditional guide posts of journalism

“Technology, with its continuous high rate of innovation turn-over, is the unavoidable future of mass media and indeed all professions and vocations globally.

 “The reality of media and technological convergence makes it imperative and expedient to equip students with a well-rounded education that focuses on developing the human intellect and not short-change it for Google and Algorithm searches. We must teach and evaluate real and not artificial knowledge.  

“Journalism curriculum must and should focus on rigorous writing and story-telling skills, coupled with logical and critical thinking, visual literacy and accuracy skills as well as how to package stories for various media outlets with emphasis on professional values.”