To describe the origins and purpose of entertainment, the idea of escaping comes to me immediately. Entertainment is probably just as old as the human race and is necessary for a sound mind and relaxed demeanor. It stimulates or sedates us, and in all cases I can think of, offers an opportunity for escape.
Escaping through means of entertainment can be quite powerful; media such as music, novels and film especially create ulterior environments in the mind. I believe there is an innate demand to escape occasionally, and entertainment is experienced because of a desire to experience, not a need to. An aspect of fantasy is definitely involved, but the main reason for escape is to take oneself away from the outside world for an enjoyable, personal experience of his or her choosing.
If entertainment had an “opposite”, it might be most of what has to be done in one’s everyday life that can be found boring and is done out of necessity instead of desire. This could have the reverse effect of escaping, it can be confining because the person doing the things he has to do doesn’t have the freedom of choosing what to experience and for what reason. On a larger scale, fantasy involved in escaping can mean different things for different people. Fantasy is always part of someone’s quest for a new destination through media. If someone is very unsatisfied with their life, chances are they’ll have more of a need for consistent entertainment of some sort through which they can transport themselves to a happier state of being.
Even though escaping is necessary, it is frowned upon at times for indulgence in a certain form of entertainment or for being experienced at the wrong time. A child will get yelled at if he is watching TV instead of doing his homework. Someone might wish that his or her friend would not listen to a type of controversial music nor to be as addicted to social networking sites as they are. Many of these media are also coveted because they can be so relaxing and require no work on part of the viewer but to simply watch or listen. Most people escape everyday, looking forward to their freedom away from mundane responsibilities and the “ordinary” in life.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Keeping in Touch
“Keeping in touch” with what goes on in the world provides indispensable information that is necessary to know in today’s butterfly effect of global affairs. I use the term butterfly effect (in which a small occurrence somewhere in the world can lead to larger repercussions) because we have easy access to the rest of the world. International relations of any one country to another are strong today, and any overseas decisions or affairs the U.S. decides to get involved with ultimately affects the lives of Americans in some way.
The media, especially the internet, is useful for keeping in touch with the world. Of course news in the papers is the closest to unbiased (although often small biases in news are unavoidable). I prefer to hear more about what’s going on in the whole world rather than just the U.S., so I try to keep up with that. I am lucky to have grown up with that interest; I’ve lived in 5 countries and most of my friends are from very mixed backgrounds or nationalities, so I also like to keep up with news for their sake. For example, my good friend who is half Israeli and half Brazilian temporarily served as a soldier in Gaza very recently for the crisis with Hamas. My parents who work for the government and are living in Frankfurt keep me informed on American political relations with foreign countries.
I like to hear about global politics most steadily as well as political affairs within our country. I also like to closely follow a presidential campaign, so up until the recent election I was watching very carefully to always see what was going on with the candidates and their parties. Despite the importance of the constant global news-flow coming our way, “getting away” from it all is also enjoyable in small doses. Many people have stressful jobs and are frequently tied to keeping in touch with family and the outside world. In this case quiet vacations and meditative time away from the blackberry, pager and internet is good for the health! Following global current events is a good idea as long as one can strike a balance, and is able to occasionally part from his or her PDA!
The media, especially the internet, is useful for keeping in touch with the world. Of course news in the papers is the closest to unbiased (although often small biases in news are unavoidable). I prefer to hear more about what’s going on in the whole world rather than just the U.S., so I try to keep up with that. I am lucky to have grown up with that interest; I’ve lived in 5 countries and most of my friends are from very mixed backgrounds or nationalities, so I also like to keep up with news for their sake. For example, my good friend who is half Israeli and half Brazilian temporarily served as a soldier in Gaza very recently for the crisis with Hamas. My parents who work for the government and are living in Frankfurt keep me informed on American political relations with foreign countries.
I like to hear about global politics most steadily as well as political affairs within our country. I also like to closely follow a presidential campaign, so up until the recent election I was watching very carefully to always see what was going on with the candidates and their parties. Despite the importance of the constant global news-flow coming our way, “getting away” from it all is also enjoyable in small doses. Many people have stressful jobs and are frequently tied to keeping in touch with family and the outside world. In this case quiet vacations and meditative time away from the blackberry, pager and internet is good for the health! Following global current events is a good idea as long as one can strike a balance, and is able to occasionally part from his or her PDA!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A Day in the Life
As I write this entry, music is playing from a YouTube video by Norwegian Recycling. The artist’s clever name comes from what he has done; he’s taken several popular songs that already exist and blended them well like a professional DJ. Whoever this young man is, he is probably well aware of the chord progression in a song having to match that of another, creating a mix that is pleasurable to listen to. I have no doubt that his exposure to a fantastic amount of media and ability to get music from multiple locations off the internet has contributed to, if not entirely led to, his talent for mixing these popular songs to create something fresh and new. He has done this many times, mixing new songs as well as older ones from the 80’s and 90’s.
The immense network of mass media today is available in some form or another to almost everyone in the U.S., certainly to anyone with internet. Norwegian Recycling is allowed to share his art with anyone who is willing to listen to his compilations thanks to the internet. My life would be affected most drastically by the loss of internet than by any other medium. I do not watch TV except very occasionally with friends who enjoy it, but thanks to the internet I can get my news as well as extensive forms of communication, entertainment and information. One cannot deny that the internet has helped global communication grow and contributes almost perfectly to modern life. Of course everything has its fallbacks, and it is an understatement to say that many things on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt and questioned. Appropriateness of subject matter on the internet leads to an entirely different subject and complicates how we should go about using this medium. For the most part however, I believe the internet is more beneficial to society than degrading.
As well as the internet, my preferred media includes anything that can be read, music, and talking on the phone! Yes, I am one of the very few in my generation who actually prefers talking on the phone over texting, instant messaging and emailing. I don’t get to read newspapers as often as I’d like, but I read my parents’ Washington Post when I’m home as well as the New York Times. I love magazines, my biggest media weakness. Cosmopolitan is my favourite, and now that my friends bought a subscription for me as a Christmas present I’ll be careful to not let it distract me too much.
The immense network of mass media today is available in some form or another to almost everyone in the U.S., certainly to anyone with internet. Norwegian Recycling is allowed to share his art with anyone who is willing to listen to his compilations thanks to the internet. My life would be affected most drastically by the loss of internet than by any other medium. I do not watch TV except very occasionally with friends who enjoy it, but thanks to the internet I can get my news as well as extensive forms of communication, entertainment and information. One cannot deny that the internet has helped global communication grow and contributes almost perfectly to modern life. Of course everything has its fallbacks, and it is an understatement to say that many things on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt and questioned. Appropriateness of subject matter on the internet leads to an entirely different subject and complicates how we should go about using this medium. For the most part however, I believe the internet is more beneficial to society than degrading.
As well as the internet, my preferred media includes anything that can be read, music, and talking on the phone! Yes, I am one of the very few in my generation who actually prefers talking on the phone over texting, instant messaging and emailing. I don’t get to read newspapers as often as I’d like, but I read my parents’ Washington Post when I’m home as well as the New York Times. I love magazines, my biggest media weakness. Cosmopolitan is my favourite, and now that my friends bought a subscription for me as a Christmas present I’ll be careful to not let it distract me too much.
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