ADVERTISING AND JOURNALISM PRACTICE IN NIGERIA

The mass media play diverse roles in society and people have come to rely on them for information, enlightenment and relaxation. The audience of the mass media are however, many and varied –scattered over time and space, and so cannot come together to take collective action. This places them at a disadvantaged position where so much influences and forces are exerted on them. One of such forces is advertising, as advertisers have long discovered the power of the media and the masses’ overdependence on them to meet certain needs. While the masses seek to get information from the media on what is happening around them, how to live their lives and how to release tension, advertisers are constantly devising means of packaging persuasive messages that will effectively win the hearts of the audience, and get them to buy their ideas, products and services. This article reflects on the relationship between the media, society and the audience, and how advertisers use the media to exploit the audience, presenting their messages as useful and credible, paying the media organisations and thus making profit for their businesses at the expense of the masses.