How Does Entertainment Influence Society?
Media is an integral part of our society. It impacts how we perceive ourselves, how we view others, and what behaviors are acceptable or not. TV shows, movies, music, and magazines influence all three of these to an extent.
Media has become more sophisticated as it continues to evolve. At times, however, it can seem like there’s too much media content out there with no place to land.
It may feel like everyone has access to every piece of entertainment ever made and that nothing new gets left behind. This is especially true now with the internet allowing anyone to share their opinion at lightning speed.
Entertainment can have a powerful effect on those who watch it. Whether they realize it or not, they're ingesting messages about everything from culture to politics to religion.
This article will talk about some ways this influence happens and some signs you might notice in yourself or someone else.
The effects of media on society
We are constantly exposed to a vast amount of content, from the movies we watch, TV shows we listen to, videos we view online, and songs we listen to. All of these mediums have soundtracks that influence how people perceive themselves and the world around them.
The music in various entertainment products can promote different behaviors or ideologies. People who work in the media influence the way others consume their product by creating catchy tunes and advertising campaigns.
It is important to recognize the effect that media has on our society because this exposure can have lasting impacts. Media teaches us about other cultures, it shapes our beliefs, and it encourages certain behavior.
There are many examples of how media influences society for both good and bad. Some studies show that exposure to media can help develop social skills and self-confidence. But some reports say that violent and pornographic material may contribute towards violence and sexual disorders.
Popular culture
What is popular media? That’s a tough question to answer because what counts as “popular” changes with time. However, we can generally define it as content or entertainment that most people are involved in.
Media comes in many forms: books, films, TV shows, music, internet sites, etc. Some of these content types are more popular than others, but all contribute to a common goal: creating an impression in your audience.
The impressions they create come from things such as how well-made the product is, whether there are engaging characters, interesting storylines, and/or valuable lessons for life. These lessons may be moral (telling you not to drink and drive) or practical (how to do business), but they always emphasize consistency over perfection.
Popular media has a lot of rules. If you don’t understand them, you could end up looking like a fool while everyone else seems smart. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, just make sure you aren’t too clever about it! - Jessica DiNitto
Take a look at this funny tweet here:
https://twitter.com/JosiahTruaxe/status/988482223606865600
Many people find comedy through experiences they have in common; thus, jokes that resonate for different groups of people are important.
Substance abuse
Media influence is not limited to developing mindless habits for watching TV or listening to music, it also includes substances. Drugs and alcohol are often marketed as fun ways to enjoy yourself, but they can do incredible harm to you if you are too consumed of them.
Alcohol is commonly marketed as a way to relax, however drinking too much alcohol can have disastrous effects on your body. It can impair balance, coordination, thinking, and sleep which contribute to mental health issues. Alcohol can also damage blood vessels which lead to poor circulation, more opportunities for illness and infection, and even organ failure.
In fact, alcoholism is one of the top reasons why patients need hospital care in emergency rooms across America. Health professionals describe people who use drugs heavily as drug users.
Drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other opioids are frequently used together by individuals using them. This is called polysubstance usage because these drugs are additional contributors to substance misuse. When people use multiple types of substances at once, their exposure to each individual drug may be increasing their desire to use that specific drug, or decreasing their tolerance of the drug.
People also tend to drink more when taking illicit drugs than when just using alcohol alone. This effect was observed during the 1950’s through 1970’s when many teens experienced alcohol poisoning due to mixing benzodiazepines (commonly known as “Valium”) with ecstasy.
Corruption in government
As we have seen, media influence is not always positive, as it can promote behaviors that are harmful to society. It has been linked to increased corruption among politicians, for example.
In fact, research suggests that exposure to entertainment content with lots of violence may contribute to individuals supporting acts of political or social violence.
This includes inciting mass shootings or other forms of terrorism. Political ideologies like fascism and Nazism were already existent before World War II, but Adolf Hitler made sure to give them a new life by incorporating violent concepts into his speeches and propaganda.
Hitler even wrote several books about how democracy was an inferior form of governance and how he would fix this at the expense of the people. He encouraged followers to join him and do what needed to be done to save Germany and the world from what they considered to be wrong leadership.
After the war when people tried to talk about why Hitler was so powerful, many pointed towards his media presence. His ability to gain attention through sensationalist stories helped fuel his appeal.
The state of the environment
With every new medium that comes along, there are always negative effects it can have on those who use it to consume content. Technology has now become one of these media, with constant exposure creating passive viewers in mind as well as users relying more heavily on technology for their entertainment.
As we know, passive viewing is just not good for your mental health. It creates an atmosphere where people spend time watching TV or listening to music instead of doing other things. And while being immersed into this media may be entertaining at first, it can also promote ignorance of our surroundings.
Technology uses up energy, which adds to the growing environmental problem we already face. We’re spending too much money keeping the electronics active so they never truly sleep!
This was especially noticeable after the recent earthquake in Japan when many reported using power strips to save batteries during the long recovery period.
Trends in fashion
Recent trends in entertainment influence what styles are popular and which ones fall out of style. For example, people may not like how some celebrities pose or dress, so they copy that behaviour or do it themselves to feel more attractive or fashionable.
Tonal colors such as black, grey and white are always in style, but other shades suchas blue and red have their seasons too! This is because different designers use these colors for different products and industries that they work with.
Block patterns (where one element covers up another) come back into style every few years. It’s like having your own individual pattern! Stripes are constant staples though, due to their ease of use and versatility!
Graphic tees are another trend that seems to be coming back right now. They were very popular a couple years ago, and many brands made their own versions of them. These have become recognizable logos or designs that most companies adopt.
Social media influence
A growing number of studies are showing that social media has a significant impact on society. These studies suggest that exposure to too much entertainment with strong messages can subconsciously affect people in negative ways.
Social media sites such as YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu offer their users vast amounts of content which most individuals have access to. As more and more people become exposed to this content, it becomes an integral part of their daily lives.
Many people use these sites for work or education so they are constantly consuming entertainment. This is especially true for children who grow up using technology heavily.
The amount of time spent online viewing videos and surfing through pages and apps is increasing every year. In fact, one study found that 90 percent of teens spend at least two hours per day interacting with digital devices.
This effect of constant exposure is very powerful and important to consider. It’s like having a never-ending advertisement for whatever product you want people to think about.