Effects of Entertainment Media on Society

The inventions and innovations of the media industry, fondly links to the notion of the world being a global village. Indeed, the effects and influence of the media to the development of the communication industry have gone a long way in helping it acquire the tag “global village”. The mention of media goes together with Hollywood. The reason is straightforward. Hollywood, over the years, has curved a niche and made a name for itself as the hub and centre of entertainment. Largely thronged and inhabited by actors, actresses, rap moguls, pop stars, producers, name it, Hollywood has attracted an immense deal of interest and attention from the world and from young, ambitious people looking to make a name for themselves in the world of entertainment (Strasburger, Victor and Barbara 5). Therefore, it is not surprising that the happenings in Hollywood lead with keen interest in most, if not all corners of the world. This essay discusses the impact, Hollywood and the internet, has had on the way people live their lives and the negative aspects of this contagious influence.

Glamour, public appeal, ambition and adventure all in equal measure characterize Hollywood. The bigwigs, the entertainers lead the pack in marketing and the sale of Hollywood. Most people yearn for the seemingly stress-free and carefree lives that the entertainers appear to maintain without breaking a sweat (Strasburger, Victor and Barbara 19). Being human nature, to have a penchant for good things in life, most people have given the entertainers another role to play, aside from the role in front of cameras; that of being role models. It is no longer strange to see people dress, act, and talk and even engage in a manner likely to suggest that they have aped or borrowed their personality. It is even more baffling to see people do the same look as that of the social elite. The dress code has particularly raised eyebrows on one too many occasions. Hanging out in beaches and spotting bikinis and other brief wear, celebrities and entertainers have succeeded in inducting others to adopt this approach, only that some have taken the joke too far and do this embarrassing apparel in non deserving, public places such as malls. All this is in the name of sex appeal.

Oozing class, with the world at their feet, the social, elite cruise around in state-of-the-art automobiles packed at the turn of dusk in front of high-end homes in posh estates. This excites the public and while following their role models, they incur massive debts to keep up with the trends. With their meager income, not enough to service the loan and still maintain the kind of lifestyle they want, they end up living in a world of fantasy and dreaming. The slogan they try to uphold and abide by is that of work hard, play hard. For some people, however, much time goes to waste by playing hard and not working as hard. Celebrities themselves put undue pressure on themselves, and their finances to maintain an appealing public image too. The result is more often than not bankruptcy and auction firms taking over.

One other negative impact of the Hollywood lifestyle on the public is the demeaning images that marriage gets. The seemingly lack of respect to the marriage institution has begun a gradual and steady encroachment to the general populace. Among the social elite, marriage is not for companionship and neither is it based on love, as is usually the case. In their world, it is a matter of convenience, marrying someone for what they can bring to the table in the form of fueling the subject’s career to greater heights. After meeting this objective, the marriage is as good as over. Divorce rates are, therefore, uncharacteristically high, and single parents are a common scene in such arrangements. Unfortunately, this unacceptable practice has already found its way into the public and is becoming a household occurrence (Jowett, et al. 56). New laws governing courtship and marriage, such as the signing of prenuptial agreements, requires that spouses spell out their property so that in the event of divorce, each party leaves with only what they came into the relationship with only. This agreement seems to encourage divorce and denies dialogue a chance to make amends.

The melo-drama that is the hallmark of the lives of celebrities is another aspect of the Hollywood lifestyle that affects negatively on the general population. Some celebrities indulge in wayward activities, which, to the young people and other members of the public who look up to them, appear as trendy and fashionable activities. Take an example of involvement in gangs and gang activities. The rest of the public interprets this as normal, and regard it as being ahead of the rest. Other questionable activities include drug and substance abuse, violence (especially associated with rap moguls) and immorality.

Impact of the Internet on Society

Early 90s marks the beginning of internet because there was incessant need of the military to network within its various factions with limited insecurities. The commercialization of the internet took effect in the 1996, and this resulted in a revolution, in the various aspects of society. The diffusion of the internet was rapid as it was efficient in satisfying its subscribers. The internet entered the society thence and its effects on the society remain visible due to its tremendous use (Wellman, Barry and Caroline 14). This has changed the reasoning and strategy formulation of society on most aspects of life. Education in various schools has received a significant boost from the internet. The incorporation of the internet into the learning system has made the learning process engaging as well as fulfilling.

Various resources within the internet that can provide useful information on facts learnt in schools or even the application of skills taught in schools. The CES Jewish Day School in Rockville, Maryland integrated the internet into its learning process, and they appreciated the success of the project. The internet also gives updated information because of frequent updates, thus phasing out obsolete information. This has been beneficial to students as it provides clarifications and understanding of the issues in current times because the syllabi adapt slowly to new information. The internet also provides a way of learning for the student s as e learning is taking root all over the world. This has reduced the crowding of schools. The internet has made the society adopt a dynamic education system, and the use of libraries and hard cover books has dwindled over time due to the use of the internet. (Nie, Norman and Lutz Erbring 41)

The social media in the internet have forged countless relations on a global scale leading to global interactions of a massive scale. The internet has reduced the need for postal offices because it offers convenient and cheaper means of sending messages through emails. Teleconferencing gets used for audio-visual communication in various fields with different levels of formality. These include news broadcasts, medical consulting, corporate and civil meeting and informal chatting. Social sites like Facebook and Twitter boast of over a billion users and this statistic is increasing with time. The use of social sites has led to the formation of life-long friendships, and some of these relations end up in marriage. Several campaigns have taken place online; the fight against epidemics, war, hunger, political causes and many other advertisements. The internet has become the main medium of advertisement as most consumers and audiences are online for whatsoever reason. The internet is thus competing with billboards and posters for advertisements, and it is on a winning streak. This show the internet has led to the virtualization of human interaction in the society as people interact through technology, thus reducing the need for physical contact (Nie, Norman and Sunshine Hillygus 20).

The internet has become the centre spot for business activities in the world. Online trade runs from the sale of stocks to sale of goods within the internet. Amazon and eBay have the internet to thank for their existence. Dell computers make daily sales that average US $10,000,000 over the internet illustrating how extensive and lucrative business is on the internet. This has contributed to the increase in online jobs and opportunities. The internet has proved to be a market niche for various investors making it a fundamental part of business management. The society and its members have to consider the internet as an avenue to promote or sale its product to the world. This has engendered the need for websites and online service providence. Such services have automated the business industry making shopping and other services available at the click of a button. This has encouraged laziness and led to various health problems like obesity, a result of reduced  physical activity with the provision of delivery services too.

Effect of Internet and Television on Children

The internet has various entertainment features that make children subscribe to its use frequently. These include games, social sites, music and movies. Children also engross themselves in television shows that children like to watch. Children develop habits of using the internet and watching television that interfere with their growth and development. The internet has a lot of information, and if not regulated, it exposes children to mentally and psychologically harmful material via the internet. These include pornography and immoral trends like drug abuse. Television also has such content in case of lack of parental control. These contents breed children without moral grounds. (Gupta, et al 55)

The excessive watching of television and use of the internet reduces the attentiveness of children. The rapidly changing images on the display of television or computers make the brain adapt to lack of use of long-term memory, and this has a deleterious effect on the intelligence quotient of children.

Conclusion

Hollywood productions have a vast following globally making them an influence on trends and character. The structure of movies tends to glorify a character or an issue and demeans the villains and all that they stand for. The impingement of the productions of Hollywood on the society involves the creation of vices and virtues based on movies. Hollywood productions also set mindset of fairy tale-endings. The internet has made numerous aspects of societal life convenient by making it cheaper and easier to access and distribute information, goods and services. However, it has almost overcome the need for physical human interaction, a feat that Albert Einstein feared for technology and the development of the world. This virtualization of most services has led to the adoption of laziness and isolation in the society.