Revista Universitară de Sociologie – Issue 1/2024 239 IMPLICATIONS OF MEDIA EXPOSURE, YOUTH VIOLENCE AND GANGSTERISM IN NIGERIA: THE AGONY OF A MORALLY DISLOCATED SOCIETY Kevin Akpanke AKAN 1 , Olawale James GBADEYAN 2 , Samuel Osadola OLUWASEUN 3 1 Department of Criminology and Security Studies, Federal University Oye-Ekiti (Nigeria) Email: kevin.akan@fuoye.edu.ng 2 Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Federal University Oye-Ekiti (Nigeria) Email: Olawale.gbadeyan@fuoye.edu.ng 3 History and International Studies, Federal University Oye-Ekiti (Nigeria) Email: Oluwaseun.osadola@fuoye.edu.ng Abstract: The influence of media exposure and youth violence has been of global concern. Scholars, researchers, policy makers and implementer as well as social influencers are on their toes trying to find solution to these twin problems because of its effect on the youth and society. This study focused on implications of media exposure, youth violence and gangsterism in Nigeria: the agony of a morally dislocated society. youth violence and gangsterism in Nigeria: the agony of a morally dislocated society. The study adopted qualitative method of data collection. The study was carried out in thirty-two (32) media outfit covering Television, Radio, Print and Online frames. The study reveals that, the media has the role of socializing, educating, entertaining and advertising and these roles keep the public abreast on the latest developments in the society. When these functions are abused or neglected, it tends to encourage youth violence and gangsterism in our society. The study recommended that: Government and media regulatory agencies must through effective law making and implementation addressed the root causes of mismanagement of media content to forestall youth violence in Nigeria. Conscious effort must be made by the government through its agencies to make laws as well as punish violators of uncensored movie content to avoid or reduce its influence on youth violence in Nigeria. Sanction and severe punishment should be meted on agent of sponsored news content capable of inciting youth violence in Nigeria. Selective media contents should be discouraged so as to ease the tension and aggression that leads to youth violence in Nigeria. Training and retraining of media practitioners will reduced the overzealousness of media practitioners` aggressive news content and eventually clamp down on youth violence in Nigeria. Keywords: implications, media exposure, youth violence, Gangsterism, Nigeria 1. Introduction It is a globally known fact that mass media and journalism are the watchdogs of the people. It acts as an intermediary between the people and the government. These media houses frame news contents and air them to the public, thereby engaging in socializing, educating, entertaining, and advertising or marketing goods and services. These global practices/duties have over time been under-performed, over-performed or even neglected. In most countries within the American continent, the media is held with extreme value and inviolability owing to their roles in such societies (Akan, Gbadeyan and Ojiezele, 2022). In Europe, the totality of man`s existence hinges on the media for their daily life activities like weather forecast, trading, news, entertainment, studies and equipping members of the public with government policies, guiding the public on norms and values in the society. Most of these, the media does via print or electronics which is often online or offline. The Arctic and Antarctica rely on media coverage and news content for their daily lives, like in all continents of the world. Personal experience and public opinion shows that the media shapes issues about beliefs and attitudes; exerts influence on elite and policy makers and policy outcome. In Africa, there are seen to be involved in surveillance, correlation, cultural transmission and entertainment and there have being communicating their various messages through television, movies, advertising, radio, the internet, magazine and newspapers (Akan and Egbo, 2022). The media in Central, South and