Digital Technology and its Usage in the Training of Students for Nigeria’s Entertainment Industry: Stakeholders’ Viewpoints

Abstract

The creative industry, also known as the entertainment industry, comprises diverse fields which include film, music, dance and choreography, drama, comedy, design and installation arts, acting, carnival arts and performance, painting, theatre arts, illustrations, spoken words, and sculpture, among others. Today, the industry is being transformed by the numerous innovations taking place
through science and technology, aptly referred to as digital technology in this study. This study adopted the descriptive survey research method. It was hinged on the Reflective Practice Theory, looked at the importance of the entertainment industry to Nigeria’s socio-economic development, the extent of the relevance of science and technology to Nigeria’s entertainment industry, and the
level of usage of digital technology in the training of students for the industry. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The study's population was 2, 804, made up of the entire staff and students of the departments of Mass Communication and Theatre Arts of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City; Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, and University of Africa (UAT), Toru-Orua. Amassed data established that the entertainment industry contributes to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. The Findings of the study revealed that digital technology is relevant to Nigeria’s entertainment industry. Findings revealed the low level of the utilisation of digital technology in training students for Nigeria’s entertainment industry. Based on the findings the study recommended, among others, that government should not toy with the idea of diversifying the nation’s economy from oil to entertainment by injecting more funds into the creative industry, and that relevant digital tools needed to train students should be acquired to expose them to some practical aspects of their studies.