Name : Owen Wanjohi Wacira

Reg no. : COM/054/17

SHUM 321 Assignment

Task : Research Proposal

Lecturer : Dr. Virginia Mutheu

Date : 11TH March, 2020

Signature : ………..

1
 Research Title: The Effect of Vulgar Content in music amongst Kenyan
Youth

ABSTRACT
In Kenya today, the inclusion of vulgar content in music is common. Despite
Kenya enforcing censorship on television for many tracks they consider
inappropriate, online channels like YouTube make it easy for the people to
access these videos. The youths are the most affected by this inclusion of
vulgar lyrics and show of nudity in music videos. Adolescents exposed to
sexualizing and objectifying media are more likely to experience body
dissatisfaction, depression and lower self esteem(American Psychological
Association, 2017). This research focuses on exploring psychological and
behavioural effects vulgar lyrics and nudity in music videos has on the youth
in Kenya and on their attitude towards sexuality. This research will also
explore the connection between premarital sex, early pregnancies and vulgar
content in music.
 Table of Contents
Introduction……………………………………………………….… .4 - 9

Problem Background…………………………………………………..4

Problem Statement……………………………………………………..5

Purpose of the study……………………………………………………5

Objectives of the study…………………………………………………5

Research Questions…………………………………………………….5

Justification of the study………………………………………………..6

Theoritical Framework……………………………………………….…6

Social Learning Theory……………………………………………6

What SLT seeks to explain…………………………………….….6

Application of SLT to the study…………………………………...8

Limitations of the study…………………………………………………9

Literature Review……………………………………………………10 - 13

Proposed Methodology………………………………………………14 - 16

Research Locale………………………………………………………14

Respondents of the study……………………………………………...14

Research Design…………………………………………………….…14

Research Instrument…………………………………………………...16

Research Schedule……………………………………………………..….18

References……………………………………………………………..…..19

Appendices………………………………………………………………...20
 INTRODUCTION
Problem Background
Music has existed for many years and has been used as for entertainment,
relaxation and also as an economic activity. Over the years, music has grown
and evolved with music artists and other parties involved in music making
becoming among the richest people in the world.
With the growth and dominance of social networks e.g Youtube, itunes,
boomplay, earning from music has become very easy. With this growth, music
content has also greatly changed. The Hip Hop genre, born in USA and mostly
done by black Americans, became a great influence all over the world. It is
mostly known for vulgar and offensive language and explicit sexual scenes in
the videos.
In South America, specifically Jamaica, another genre, dubbed as dancehall,
has had adverse effects on the youth leading to premature sex and early
pregnancies. This particular genre is filled vulgar content and praising abuse
of drugs like marijuana. The musicians also lead a life which acts as a very
worst example to the young people who view them as role models and see
them as successful.
This music genres has also affected music in Kenya. Music previously done in
Kenya had a very logical and helpful content to the listeners and vulgar
content in music was highly criticized by Kenyans. Now Kenyan music has
changed and the current music, being done by the youth, has attracted a lot
of attention due to its vulgar and offensive language. Vulgar language is not
the only problem but also great use and advertisement of drugs and nudity in
the music videos. Therefore this research focuses on identifying the effect
such music has on Kenyan youths.
Problem Statement
The dominance of vulgar content in today’s music has negatively affected the
lives of the youth who are the majority listeners of this kind of music.
The content contained in this kind of music does not have any educational or
motivational content to listeners. Instead the content contained is on drug
abuse, premarital sex and partying which are the issues ruining lives of the
youth.

Purpose of study
Based on the problem stated above, the purpose of this study is to identify
the effects of vulgar content in music. The study will also identify why artists
have shifted to doing such music why this kind of music is selling more than
any other kind.

Objectives of the study

1. Identify the psychological effects this kind of music has on the listener
2. Identify the behavioural effects this kind of music has on the listener
3. Identify why music content has shifted so drastically
4. Identify whether there is a connection between premature sex and
vulgarity in music

Research Questions
1. How does listening to vulgar lyrics and viewing nudity in music videos
affect Kenyan youths’ attitude towards sexuality?
2. What impact, positive and negative, does this content in music has on the
minds of the Kenyan youths?(Psychological effects)
3. How does the portrayal of vulgarity in music(both in lyrics and
videos)affect the actions and behaviour of the youth in Kenya?
(Behavioural effects)
Justification of the study
The reason for this study is to establish why the music content has shifted so
drastically and why the youths are the most affected.
This kind of music has negative effect on the youth and this study is important
in identifying the effects and the degree of impact on their lives. The results
of this study will also be important in Communications Authority of
Kenya(CA), to listeners and also to artists. The results will benefit the CA in
regulating the kind of content to broadcast in media houses.

Theoritical Framework
Social Learning Theory
Social learning theory (SLT) is the guiding theoretical perspective in this
study. It is a social scientific theory developed by Albert Bandura (1972, 1977,
2002) that is based on the idea that humans can learn vicariously through the
observation of actions taken by “influential others” and the associated results
of those actions (either reward or punishment) without the need to
experience those actions and results firsthand (Howard & Hollander, 1997,).
What Social Theory Seeks to explain:
Most simply, social learning theory seeks to understand behavioral
changes as a consequence of certain social experiences and to elucidate the
ways in which human behavioral manifestations are brought about by things
socially “learned” from the environment around us (Marlowe, 1975). As it is
conceived of in SLT, “learning” refers to the time “when an organism’s
behavior changes [are offered] as a consequence of certain experiences”
(Marlowe, 1975, p. 73). Further, social learning “teaches us what can and
cannot reasonably be expected from a social environment” (Marlowe, 1975).
It is for this reason that Tan (1986) calls SLT an “eclectic theory,” as it
combines three of the most important elements of the human
communicative process: behavior, external/environmental forces, and
individual differences via dispositional determinants and cognitions .
This threefold conceptualization has been labeled by Bandura (2002) as
“triadic reciprocal causation” (p. 121) and is in large part the basis for the idea
of learning through observation, often referred to as “vicarious learning”
(Bandura, 1977). This idea of (social) learning without the need for direct
action or experience on the part of the individual is an essential piece to the
complete understanding of the implications and potential utility of SLT for the
mass communication scientist. It might be worth noting here that within this
threefold conceptualization of the communicative process exists the largest
renegotiation between the social learning theory and what Bandura later
called the social cognitive theory (SCT) (Bandura, 2002). SLT and SCT are
similar theories, in which the latter is a more complex derivative of the
former. Beyond the complexity, the main difference between the two
theories is found in the idea that in SCT Bandura (2002) “accords a central
role to cognitive processes” (p. 122), whereas in SLT cognitive processes play
only a minor 10 role. Because the role of cognitions is the only major
difference between the two theories and social learning theory is the more
widely known term it will be used almost exclusively in place of SCT for the
remainder of this study. Returning briefly to what the social learning theory
seeks to explain, Bandura and his like-minded cohorts have conceived of a
learning theory that is well equipped to discuss the implications of learning
via symbolic processes such as language formation and exchange through
symbolic formats like television and other mass media (Bandura, 1972;
Bandura, 2002). This notion makes SLT the ideal learning theory for studying
mass communication.
Applications of Social Learning Theory to The study
The most applicable portions of the social learning theory to the current
study are the four sub-functions that govern observational learning. The sub-
function, Attentional Processes, and Motivational Processes, will provide the
most utility. This utility is due in part to the nature of the study, a content
analysis that will focus on the messages and models in music videos.
Because the Attentional Precesses, observational learning centers in large
part around the nature of the model and his/her activities, including the
model’s salience (i.e., whether the model is striking, conspicuous, and
prominent), and the model’s attractiveness (Bandura, 2002), it will play a
significant role in the application of SLT to this study. Similarly, Motivational
Processes depends largely on external incentives such as socially sanctioned
controls and suggestions for appropriate behavior, both of which are
delivered by the nature of the model (again, in this case the performers in
music videos) and help to determine whether or not an observed event will
become a modeled one. This idea comes from Bandura’s (2002) belief that,
“people do not perform everything they learn” and for this reason there is a
selection process based largely on the perceived positive or negative
consequences of the modeled behavior. To clarify,Motivational Processes is
the area in the theory that suggests individuals will enact behaviors that
they’ve seen others rewarded for and avoid behaviors that render
punishment (Bandura, 2002; Pavitt, 2002). Another portion of Motivational
Processes of interest to this study is the idea that models who are similar to
the attendee (i.e., the same gender, comparable racial background, similar
socio-economic status) will act as more effective subjects and will thus
increase the likelihood that the learned behavior be incorporated into the
attendees’ personal repertoire (Bandura, 2002).
While Retention Processes, deals mostly with the cognitive construction of
the attendee, one aspect of this sub-function is of interest to the current
study. Repetition has been noted by Bandura (1977) and others (Mastro &
Atkin, 2002) as one way for a messenger to increase the likelihood that an
attendee will remember and retain the information learned from a model.
This might be of use in a study about music videos, a relatively repetitive
television format with archetypal imagery and often numerous showings of
the same video in a given play list or rotation.
The sub-function,Production Processes, will be omitted from application in
this study because Production Processes deal almost entirely with the actual
enactment of modeled behavior while the current study does not. Now that
some explanation of what elements Motivational Processes will be applied to
this study have been noted, it might be useful to next look at some of the
ways others have used these elements to guide their work. Additionally, a
look at data concerning the nature and proliferation of music videos in
conjunction with their primary audience (adolescents) will be included in the
hopes of validating the presence of these sub functions in the current study.

Limitations of the study

Owing to the sensitivity of the topic, one of the major limitations this study
poses is of respondents not being open and honest when giving personal
opinions. To overcome this problem, the researchers and moderators need to
spend more time with them to develop a sense of trust and comfort. Another
issue is that being a qualitative study with sample size from University of
Eldoret only, the study may not be entirely externally valid and may not be
generalized to the entire youth in Kenya. To overcome the problem, a larger
scale study can be conducted and this qualitative study can be used as a pilot
study for further in-depth research on the subject.
 LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter provides review of works done by authors and other researcher’s
that relate to the topic under the study.

In March 2010, Alexay D. Crawford described that adolescents’ pycho-social

response to dancehall genre on adolescent sexual and violent behavior in
Jamaica. Research shown that there is a direct correlation between the loud
‘hard-core’ music played on public transportation and the proliferation of
sexual activities on these said transportation. Of the 100 adolescent cases (50
male, 50 female), females (40%) were more likely to gravitate to sexually
explicit lyrical content than their male counterparts (26%). Females (74%)
were also more likely to act upon lyrical contents than males (46%). There was
no significant difference where males (100%) and females (98%)
subconsciously sings the dancehall lyrics even without hearing it; as well as
inspire their dreams 64% and 62% respectively. However, more females (74%)
than males (46%) acted on lyrical contents of the dancehall genre. Alexay
concluded that There is a correlation between hard-core dancehall genre and
the sexual and violent behavior of adolescents.

Aubrey, JS, Hopper, KM & Mbure, WG 2011, ‘Check that body! The effects of
sexually objectifying music videos on college men's sexual beliefs’.
The authors examine the effects of sexual objectification of female artists in
music videos on the sexual beliefs of male undergraduates. Support for such a
claim is documented via findings that showed that participants who viewed
music videos of highly objectified female artists reported more adversarial
sexual beliefs, more acceptance of interpersonal violence and at a level of
marginal significance, more negative attitudes about sexual harassment than
participants assigned to low-sexual objectifying music videos by the same
female artists. However, the main limitation of the study is lack of accounting
for outside factors regarding their influence on college men’s adversarial
sexual beliefs and sexual aggression-related attitudes. Therefore, while the
article is useful for analyzing how sexualization in music videos affects the
thought patterns of a certain demographic, further adjustment is needed to
provide an observation from a greater perspective, which is more pertinent to
the research topic.

Bruno, A 2007, ‘Indecent exposure’. The article discusses about the third-
party music video aggregator NGTV on YouTube which largely focuses on
uncensored contents and the emerging fame of the music video channel
DMV, or “dirty music videos’’ which features music videos that contain
nudity, drug references and other inappropriate content. The article shows
evidence on how the website became a tool for leading recording labels to
make profit as it airs videos that most of the other channels avoid.
Furthermore, it discusses how the young generation is contributing to its
increasing popularity by subscribing to them. The article also provides data
and figures showing the increasing rate of popularity NGTV has gained since
the day it was launched. Therefore, it is useful to the research as it shows the
inclination of the young generation towards music videos featuring contents
like nudity.

Duits, L & Van Zoonen, L 2011, ‘Coming to terms with sexualization’.

The article describes the impact of sexual music videos on the female viewers.
The findings of the researcher include the extent of difficulty girls face in
coping with nudity and pornography in 4music videos. In particular, some of
the findings show that girls feel awkward and uncomfortable watching the
videos and some are anxiously aware of their controversial status and the
probable impacts of watching these music videos. Furthermore, the article
also focuses on how little girls are feared to be growing up too fast and
knowing too much owing to the inappropriate content in the music videos.
Finally, the researcher provides strong theoretical evidence to back up the
expressed critical and concerned opinions regarding the matter, and tactics in
particular are mentioned to accommodate with these images. Therefore, this
article will assist the research in exploring attitudes of young girls towards
nudity in music videos along with possible solutions to ease the perceived
effects.

Levande, M 2008, ‘Women, pop music, and pornography’.

This article discusses the extent to which music videos have become
progressively hyper sexualized and intensely pornographic, at the same time
being a means of making money. Support for these claims are given by
showing how sexual content portrayed in music videos is considered a market
strategy by some companies such as Yahoo! And Time Warner, and that
record labels make deals with well-known merchandise companies to
advertise their products, regardless of how explicit and inappropriate they
may be. Furthermore, the article highlights how females in the industry
usually try to parallel prostitution, stripping and pornography with power,
and that encourages them to perform nudity because it portrays them as
powerful women, as well as the growing social acceptance of nudity and the
sexual freedom in music videos and commercials. Theories are well supported
with examples from commercials and popular artists,
5and various company statistics and expert opinions. Therefore, this article is
relevant to the research as explores the causes and effects of nudity in pop
culture and the people behind it, and how it became an influence in the
mainstream
Zhang, Y, Miller, LE & Harrison, K 2008, ‘The relationship between exposure to
sexual music videos and young adults' sexual attitudes’.
This article examines the relationship between exposure to sexual music
videos and young people's sexual attitudes. The main idea expressed is that
exposure to more sexually explicit music videos which feature nudity heavily
can be associated with more permissive attitudes toward premarital sex and
stronger endorsement of the sexual double standard, regardless of gender,
overall television viewing, and previous sexual experience. The limitations of
this article, however, is that the sample size used in the study is too small and
not diverse enough, while the videos used were assumed to be sexually
explicit, even if it may not have been so. Regardless, this article is useful for
the research topic as it deals with the effects the sexualization of music
videos has on human behavior.

In December 2010, Briam A, Erica L, Michael J and Madeline A conducted a

research to establish an association between exposure to lyrics describing
degrading sex in popular music and early sexual experience among
adolescents.
 PROPOSED METHODOLOGY
Research Locale:
The location where the study will be conducted is Taylor's University of
Eldoret, Main Campus. It is a large and popular university with a multitude of
faculties. Students ranging from different faculties will be a part of the study
and thus be able to provide a broad perspective on the issue of vulgar lyrics
and nudity in music videos.

Respondents of the Study

The target population for this research is the Kenyan youth. The sample
frame for the study comprises the youth who watch music videos on MTV &
YouTube among other media channels. There are two groups of respondents
for the study owing to the two different research methods –
Focus Group and Experiment.
The sampling technique used for Focus Group is non-probability and method
type is purposive. The quota sample is also employed as 50% of males and
50% of females are selected for each group. The sample size is 1000 students
from University of Eldoret, divided into three groups of 10 individuals each (5
males and 5 females) for the sessions. The respondents are selected on the
criteria of age and exposure to music videos. The groups will be questioned
and discussion will be facilitated among them during the focus group
sessions, held 4 days a week and 2 hours per session. Visual equipment of an
LCD screen will be used to preview excerpts of different music videos to
further the discussion.
The sampling technique used for Experiment is probability and method type
is stratified, with the sample size of 96 students from University of Eldoret.
The respondents are organized by 5 the schools in the university, and 6
students per school are randomly selected. Being picked from across all 8
schools, these students provide a representative for the university. The
respondents will be divided into two groups of 48, each consisting of 24
males and 24 females for the experiment which will be conducted 4 days a
week in 2 hours per session. Visual equipment of an LCD screen will be used
to screen music videos containing vulgar lyrics nudity for the experimental
purpose.

Research Design
Data for this research will be collected through two methods, research
interviews and experimental. For the research interviews method, the
participants will be divided in groups and given a number of questions related
to the growing trend of nudity in music videos. They will be interviewed, and
allowed to present their opinions on the topic. Discussions will be encouraged
among the group members while previewing excerpts of music videos
containing vulgar lyrics and nudity, which form the stimulus material, to
understand their influence on the respondents’ attitudes and beliefs towards
sexuality. These sessions will be closely observed by the moderator, and will
enable acquiring information on their views regarding the topic.
For the experimental method, the respondents will be divided into two
groups. Both groups will be interrogated regarding the issue of vulgar lyrics
and nudity in music videos. Then, after the screening of music videos for one
group, both groups will be tested again on their psychological and behavioral
state in terms of nudity and sexuality. Their responses and reactions will be
contrasted. The moderator will closely monitor the experimental sessions
along with the results of both tests to determine any psychological or
behavioral effects of vulgar lyrics and nudity in music videos on the
respondents.
Research Instrument/Method
For the experimental method, the research instrument is ‘experiment’. The
first part is the pre-test in which both groups will be tested on the dependent
variable which is their actions (behavioral) and thought patterns
(psychological) on nudity and sexuality. Then, the independent variable will
be introduced which is the music videos containing vulgar lyrics nudity like
Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus, Thao by Ethics ,Blurred Lines by Robin Thickie,
and Bound 2 by Kanye West, by showing them to the experimental group
while the control group will not watch anything. The next part is the post-test
in which the experimental group will be tested through observation and
interrogation for any psychological or behavioral effects of the nudity in the
videos, and contrasted with the control group. This will aid in analyzing and
interpreting whether the exposure to the vulgar lyrics and nudity in such
videos has any effect on the thinking patterns and actions of the youth
involved.
For the research interviews method, the research instrument is ‘focus group’.
The sessions will be conducted across three groups. Firstly, a screening
questionnaire will be used to invite those to participate who fit the criteria of
age (16-22 years old) and exposure to music videos. The respondents will be
put in a university classroom with a moderator for open discussions on the
issue of vulgar lyrics nudity in music videos, where the interviews will be
recorded and excerpts of music videos containing nudity will be previewed as
stimulus materials. The moderator will introduce himself, create a warm
environment, and ask questions to prompt the discussion and facilitate the
discussion when needed. To analyze and interpret the data, the responses
will be categorized into themes and sub-themes of opinions expressed during
the discussions, and later reported as summaries of findings.
CONCLUSION
If conducted, this research will prove beneficial to Malaysian society as it
explores the effects of the modern trend of showcasing vulgar content in
music videos on the youth of the nation. It raises the question of whether
nudity as an art form is growing into a factor that stirs young adults’ attitudes
towards sexuality and influences their actions and thought patterns regarding
the subject. Therefore, the research will spread awareness among the people
of how media messages of vulgarity, namely through music videos, are
affecting the youth, and whether exposure to such media messages should be
monitored more closely.
 RESEARCH SCHEDULE

Research Phase Objectives Time span

 Developing Form research goals and Two months
purpose and questions
strategy Figure out where to
conduct the study
Figure out how to
conduct the study
 Obtaining Obtain necessary One month
clearances from clearances from all
faculties and institutions
ethical clearance
 Conducting the Collect data accurately Five to six months
study
 Analyzing data/ Analyze the data Four months
Making sense of accurately
collected data
 Writing Research Three months
report
 REFERENCES
Aubrey, JS, Hopper, KM & Mbure, WG 2011, ‘Check that body! The effects of
sexually objectifying music videos on college men's sexual beliefs’, Journal of
Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 55, no. 5, pp. 360-379.

Bruno, A 2007, ‘Indecent exposure’, Billboard, vol. 119, no. 47, pp. 32-33.
Duits, L & Van Zoonen, L 2011, ‘Coming to terms with sexualization’,
European journal of cultural studies, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 495-499.

Fernando, R 2010, ‘Do you want the truth or something beautiful? Critical
reflection on music videos at the start of the 21st century’, Master thesis,
University of Oslo.

Levande, M 2008, ‘Women, pop music, and pornography’, Meridians:

Feminism, Race, Transnationalism, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 293-321.

Zhang, Y, Miller, LE & Harrison, K 2008, ‘The relationship between exposure to

sexual music videos and young adults' sexual attitudes’, Journal of
Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 368-386.

Alexay, D 2010, ‘Effects of dancehall genre on adolescent sexual and violent

behaviour in Jamaica: A public concern’, North American Journal Medical
Services.
Brian, A, Erika, L & Michael J(2010), ‘Exposure to Sexual lyrics and sexual
experience among urban adolescents’, Am J Prev Med.
 APPENDICES

Experiment:

Pre-test
1. How comfortable do you feel with the idea of nudity?
2. How comfortable do you think you are with your sexuality?
3. How would you associate music with sexuality?
4. Do you engage in sexual activity on a regular basis?
5. What is your overall perception towards vulgar lyrics and nudity in music
videos?

Post-test
1) How offensive or appealing did you find the music videos?
2) What kind of thoughts and feelings did you experience while watching
the videos?
3) Did you find the music videos powerful? If so, how and why?
4) Do you think your sexual urge heightens upon watching nudity in music
videos?
5) After watching the video, would you remember it for the audio or the
visuals?

Focus Group:
Screener Questions
1. How old are you?
2. 2. Do you watch music videos?
3. 3. How many music videos do you watch on a daily basis?
4. 4. Have you encountered any vulgar content in music videos you have
watched lately, if yes which videos?

Stimulus Materials
1) How often do you encounter vulgar content in music videos?
2) Have you watched the ‘Vitamin U’ music video by Timmy and Rosa Ree? If
yes, what are you opinions on it?
3) Is the portrayal of nudity in music videos appealing?

Moderator’s Discussion Guide

1. How does the recent trend of vulgar lyrics and nudity in Kenyan music
videos itemize women?
2. What level of nudity would you find acceptable in music videos?
3. How does the vulgar lyrics and nudity in music videos affect your views on
sexuality?
4. Is it more entertaining to watch a music video that incorporates vulgarity
as a form of entertainment?