CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the study

Communication is one aspect of human life that is as important as life itself. Without communication, there is no beauty to life. In other words, communication is a spice of life. It expresses the beauty in it and explain explicitly the essence of life. Communication had developed over a number of centuries ago, and its growth and development had been rapid and copiously slow. The reason for the gradual and steady development is not unconnected with the submission of MacBride (1981), cited in Okunna and Omenugha (2912, p.1) as saying: “Throughout history human beings have sought to improve their ability to receive and assimilate information about their surroundings and at the same time to increase the speard, clarity and variety of their methods for transmission of information.

According to Uwakwe (2010), communication has since evolved from one stage to other including what he calls the first information communication revolution (the development of phonetic writing), the second information revolution (the Guten beings’ print invention) and the information communication revolution (the Digital technology Age). Each of the various stages of communication development practically meant yet another improvement in the message, manner and medium of communication in that era. That was how the mass media at various times and ages kept expanding to its present stage which now includes radio, television, film, the internet, newspapers and the magazines.

It is however, not an understatement to say that the earliest form of mass communication began with the print media. The dates back to the development of the printing press in the 15th century Europe basically to facilitate church information through printed materials. The print media constitute abroad category of mass media it constitutes notably, the newspapers, Magazines and periodicals (Aliagan. 2006). They are the forerunners of mass communication and have remained relevant today despite the fierce competition posed by the other media of communication such as the broadcast media and the social media.

Furthermore, books, newspaper, magazines, and periodicals have remained a core source of knowledge retrival system among, particularly, the educated segment of the society, since the advent of movable types and printing press. Even among the illiterate class, magazines have became a sort of attraction through glossy paper back and pictorial communication. Perhaps, this explains why Anyianuka (2009, p.4-5) defines the magazine as:

A colourful periodical publication usually issued at a price, which contains articles stories, illustrations, essays and the like, contributed by different writers and mass media professionals and targeted at an audience to inform, educate, entertain or sway opinions, or to achieve a combination of these things.

Ukunna (2006, p. 64), see it as a bond publication issued more or less regularly, and containing a variety of reading matter. The name magazine come from the French word “Magasine” which means a store house”. This name came as the result of the content of a magazine which servers to hold several topic unlike the newspapers, advertisement, pictures, features and other kinds of information well packaged, published periodically and sold at a definite cover price.

According to Anaeto, Anaeto and Tejumaiye (2009, p.10). “A magazine is a publication containing difference materials-news, features, pictures, cartoons, adverts, etc. It keeps the public informed, educated and entertained by providing information on a variety of subject matter-health, politics, education, fashion, sports, and others. Magazines are usually published weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly, etc, unlike newspapers that are published daily. Magazines are usually attractive and aesthetically appealing because of their high production quality. They come in colourful and glossy paperbacks.

Today, magazines have become a phenomenon that the world cannot do without. They are an indispensable part of modern society because of their characteristics informing, educating and entertaining their audience. Magazines have over years grown into different types and forms with a view to addressing or satisfying different segments or categories of readers. This, may have explained why Okunna (2005, p.63), notes that there are different types of magazines, and various ways of classifying them. Basically, magazines can be classified according to the target audience or content/subject matter. When so classified, we have general interact magazines, specialized  magazines and news magazines. The concern of this study is on specialized magazines.

In the light of the above, Nwabueze (2009, p.136) observes that magazines give detailed and in-depth treatment of issues and topics. And thay appeal to specific audiences. They provide specialized information for consumers. This is why we have specialized magazine, which treats specialized issues, people, topic and event (Nwokeocha, 2016). Specialized magazines are those kinds of magazines that are meant for professionals or individuals of definite profession and careers. This magazine treats specialized issues or specific topic like politics, fashion, trade, entertainment, etc.

Apart from content, one major means by which magazines attract, hold and sustain readership is aesthetics. Aesthetics is the study or theory of beauty and of philosophy dealing with arts, its creative resources, its form and its nature. According to Akpan and and Etuk (1990) cited in Nwodu (2006, p. 118), “Aesthetic is the feeling of sensation that we have when we experience something that evolves a certain feeling of enjoyment, something that make our news tingle whether by seeing, hearing, touching, testing or feeling the thing in question”. In the case of a broadcast media, this will entail the creative arrangement of words, illustrations and pictures in a manner that they evoke sceneric beauty or comfortable layout in the case of a print media. it entails blending pictures with type element, illustrations on the like.

As earlier mentioned, aesthetics deals with the subject of test, perception of the beautiful or the sublime streaming from the creation, interpretation and ultimate appreciation of creative, interpretation and ultimate appreciation of creative work of arts. Zettl (2005) also asserts that aesthetics deals with the understanding and appreciation of beauty and our ability to judge beauty with some consistency.

In their bid to gain and sustain patronage, or proper purposeful readership, magazine publishers have come up with strategies to ensure that competitors do not push them completely out of business. One key ways in which they do this, is to ensure effective application of aesthetics elements in the packaging of their magazine. It is also common place to believe that the primary reason for which magazines adopt the principles and elements of aesthetics on their pages is to enhance readability, rekindle enthusiasm and provoke interest among potential readers, and by implication, boost patronage.

It is against this backdrop, therefore, that this study seeks to investigate whether or not aesthetics significantly promote patronage and/ or readership of specialized magazines using the lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic, Eket as a reference point.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Like newspapers, magazine is a source of entertainment, education and information to its readers. It discusses a wide variety of subject ranging from politics, education, fashion, sports, entertainment, and so no. the magazine industry, take time invest resources into producing the magazine. They carefully design and package their magazines to soothe special interest and to look attractive. Both the cover design and content show the art of specialized journalism. This explains that the magazine was never written for an average or mediocre reader, out to meet the lore of the educated class.

To further complement this effort, publishers dedicated weeks, months and event a whole year into publishing the magazine with in-depth and factual presentation of people and events. And this, industry does for the reading pleasure of the educated community. To further reduce boredom in terms of readership, there is specialized. That is in terms of profession, trade, career and/or interest, so that one reads according to one’s area of interest.

But it is not so certain whether or not lecturers at Heritage Polytechnic Eket read the specialized magazine. It is on the basis of this uncertainty that the researcher’s interest is rekindled on the subject matter.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study were to:

(i)      find out whether lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic Eket read specialized magazines;

(ii)     determine the frequency of their readership of specialized magazines;

(iii)    investigate whether aesthetics exerts any significant influence on the readership of specialized magazines among Lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic Eket.

(iv)    ascertain the extent to which aesthetic influence the readership of specialized magazines among Lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic, Eket.

(v)     find out whether there are other factor (s) that enhance readership of specialized magazines among Lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic, Eket other than aesthetics.

1.4     Research Questions

The following research questions were advanced to guide the study as follows:

(i)      Do the Lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic read specialized magazines?

(ii)     What is their frequency of readership of specialized magazines?

(iii)    Does aesthetics exert any significant influence on the readership of specialized magazine among lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic Eket?

(iv)    What is the extent to which aesthetics influence the readership of specialized magazines among lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic Eket?

(v)     Are there other factor (s) than aesthetics that enhance readership of specialized magazine among lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic Eket?

1.5     Research Hypothesis

          The hypothesis of the study was stated in the alternate as follows:

Hi: Aesthetics significantly influence readership of specialized magazine among lecturers in Heritage Polytechnic Eket.

1.6     Justification of the study

At the instance of this study, its finding will be of benefit to scholars, researchers and co-operate organizations and equally contribute to the body of knowledge among other things. And thus call for creativity in the way in which print media organization and particularly, the magazines industry was aesthetic elements in their publications to enhance readership and profitability.

Lecturers generally and those of Heritage Polytechnic specifically, will benefits from the findings of the study, because through it, they will see the need to read specialized magazines even without aesthetic appeal.

Future researchers, who may also find this area of study interesting, will use its findings as a source of reference material to boost the outcome of future studies.

1.7     Delimitations of the study

The scope of this study was restricted to the readership of specialized version of magazines. The researcher did not make any attempt to investigate magazines readership generally, not books, newspapers, or periodicals that use aesthetic element.

The study intended to investigate the readership of specialized magazines on among Heritage Polytechnic Lecturerss and specifically those who lecture in the regular programme, not part-time lecturers or any other group of scholars out of Heritage Polytechnic Eket.

1.8     Limitations of the Study

This study was not devoid of certain constraints. This was not unconnected with the demographic and psychographic variables inherent in the area of this study and among respondents. The researcher met with the questionnaire copies. Again, insufficient reference material for this study was also a limitation in the study. All these constituted the constrains which help in narrowing the scope of this work.

1.9     Definition of Terms

The following key terms and concepts were operationally defined as they are used in the study.

(i)      Aesthetics: The concept of beauty shown on the pages of specialized magazines ranging from colour combination, use of pictures, illustrations, advertorial to glossy paperback, that have the tendency to induce readership of the magazines among Heritage Polytechnic lecturers.

(ii)     Lecturers: Those men and women who teach at Heritage Polytechnic, Eket which the researcher though to have read specialized magazines.

(iii)    Heritage Polytechnic, Eket: A private polytechnic in Eket Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State where Lecturers read specialized magazines. It is the universe of the study.

(iv)    Readership: The rate at which Heritage Polytechnic Lecturers read specialized magazines.

(v)     Specialized Magazines: A kind of magazines that focus on special issues, events and people such as sports magazine, fashion magazine, etc, usually read by lectures in Heritage Polytechnic, Eket.