Noise and Feedback in Online Communication on Sex: A Study of Nigerian’s Conversations on Pornography in Nollywood on Social Networks

Abstract

Social networks constitute a suitable forum for debate, and exchange on any sort of topic especially highly sensitive issues. They offer a fertile platform for debate on thorny societal issues such as politics, sex, culture and religion among others. Given the fact that they favor anonymity, openness and non-accountability for voiced opinion, a good number of Nigerians have found them suitable for, hot, aggressive and very passionate discussions over subjects like sex, sexuality and religious convictions - issues which have remarkably remained somehow taboos in the Nigerian society. This paper investigates the conduct of online debates and opinion formation on sex in the prolific Nigerian motion picture industry (Nollywood). It is based on the content analysis of 516 comments by Nigerians, reacting or debating online (in social networks) on pornography in the Nigerian film industry. The paper seeks to explore and quantify the phenomenon of noise in online communication (conservation and debate) on sex by Nigerians. It equally examines how this noise affects communication flow in online debate on pornography in the Nigerian film industry. It argues that being somewhat considerable, noise in such a communication context, is mainly psychological in nature, due principally to the dominance of conservative beliefs on sex and pornography in the Nigerian society. This conservatism motivates most Nigerians to mainly have preconceived stereotypes, notions and biases on sex and pornography and to adopt judgmental and censuring reactions to most attempts to celebrate pornography. The effect of the psychological noise (as observed in online conversation on pornography) is mainly to orchestrate a change of topic from sex to other sensitive issues as politics and religion or engender insults and counter insults which further negatively affect communication.