Exposure to Substance Use in Afrobeat Music Videos and Its Impact on Substance-related Behaviours among University of Lagos undergraduates in Nigeria

Abstract

Music serves as a medium for expressing particular ideas and behaviours, sometimes endorsing and validating them. One way that people are exposed to drug and substance use is through musical videos.  Music videos are a common way for performers to communicate with their fans, but they are also used as a platform to promote lifestyles and values. The promotion of illegal drug usage in music videos has raised concerns about the potential effects on youth, especially college students. Afrobeat music videos often depict drug and substance addiction in ways that praise their use, which affects the younger audience. Since many young Nigerians keep up with the newest and most popular songs and music video releases, the way drugs are shown in Afrobeat music videos has changed along with the times, which makes people very worried about how it might affect the way college students think and act. Hence, this study examined exposure to substance use in Afrobeat music videos and its impact on substance-related behaviours among undergraduates at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Nigeria. A quantitative method was used, with a structured questionnaire administered to 304 students sampled using a multiple-sampling technique. The results indicated that undergraduate students at UNILAG were exposed to substance use representations in Afrobeat music videos to a very high extent (x̅ = 4.37). The normal portrayal of substance use, in which drugs and alcohol were shown as regular parts of everyday life, was the type of representation that students said they saw the most. The study further revealed that undergraduate students at the UNILAG strongly disagreed with engaging in substance-related behaviour (x̅ = 2.55). In addition, exposure to substance use representation in Afrobeat music videos significantly influenced substance-related behaviour of undergraduates of the University of Lagos (Adj.R² = 0.03, F(3, 300) = 4.168, p < 0.05). From the individual perspective, it was only exposure to exaggerated representation of substance use (β = -0.201, t(300) = -3.317, p < 0.05) that had negative significant influence on substance related behavior of undergraduates of UNILAG; while exposure to harmless representation of substance use (β = 0.051, t(300) = -0.844, p > 0.05) and exposure to normal representation of substance use (β = -0.069, t(300) = -1.218, p > 0.05) did not. The study concludes that Afrobeat music videos play a strong role in shaping youth views on drug abuse. It recommends the introduction of media literacy programmes in schools and stricter content regulation by music producers to reduce the impact of normalising drug use.