Exposure and Response to Media Discourses on Plastic Pollution: A Conceptual Discourse

Against the backdrop of the increasing health hazards associated with poor environmental health and littering of the environment with plastic which directly results to environmental pollution, this study conceptually analyzed the place of the media in the campaign against such health threat. The study was a conceptual discourse which drew its materials from the internet, journals, lecture notes, text books and monographs. Situated within the context of audience reception theory, the study concludes that media discourses on plastic pollution have arguably proved useful in terms of enhancing awareness and knowledge of plastic pollution among residents in South-East Nigeria, especially in relation to its causes, dangers and measures against its environmental hazard. However, it would appear that these discourses, irrespective of sufficient exposure and preferred reading of them by the state civil servants, have largely not been effective in terms of bringing about actual behaviour change. The study therefore recommends that environmental campaign (especially in relation to plastic pollution) in South-East geopolitical zone and indeed all parts of Nigeria should emphasize adoption of recommended actions and the benefits of so doing. This is given the finding that exposure to media messages on plastic pollution did not appear to have significantly influence the desired practices among the audience