Entertainment Media and Culture
Julian B. Rosemond III
HUM186
8/13/2013
Bernard Asubonteng

Entertainment Media and Culture Entertainment media has always been a big influence on American culture and the rest of the world. It has shaped the way we dress, what kind of music we listen to and to some degree how we speak and act. There are even entire television shows in which are strictly dedicated to talking about celebrities and what is going on in his or hers life at the moment. This paper will go in depth as far as how entertainment media has impacted our culture. In the 1950’s television was known to shy away from the current political and other current events going on at the time and seemed to focus more on the standard American living lifestyle (University of Phoenix, 2012). These shows portrayed how a American should be and act, which in turn would inspire every day families in America to act the same way and live by the same values. Television in the 1960’s took a dramatic turn. In this decade politics were introduced and a lot more serious world events going on at that time. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. were just a few of the major events that were televised at that time. The Vietnam War depicted on the television the horrors of the war of children suffering and people being gunned down in the streets (2012). This in turn sparked the generation of “hippies” in which they strongly opposed the war and other political issues of that time. Present day entertainment media is a strong influence on America due to the ease of being able to access it. In this day we can look up the latest news on our phones or computers. Because of this it has greatly affected our values because we are exposed to so much more now. Children especially have been affected because nothing is private and the ease of being able to find adult content has become so much easier for them, so in turn it seems like children grow up so much faster. Children are now able to go on the computer, or these days their phones, and find the latest dances that are popular which sometimes are not the most appropriate for them. Television these days has become a lot more revealing as far as sex and media. A lot of television shows now make references to some sort of sexual action or show a lot more actions such as kissing. Children watching it are exposed and in turn want to mimic it. The effects of entertainment media have varied from era to era. In the 1950’s it was a lot more positive because television was geared towards portraying family values and how a family should be. The 1960’s turned a lot more real and had a little more negative effect on society. For example, the Vietnam War exposed a lot about what was going on in the war, which then had a big impact on the youth. Also with the exposure to the JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinations, people of America were affected in a negative way because of two high profile figures being killed. Present day media has bought mostly negative effects on our culture. It seems like every time the news is turned on there is a story of a negative origin rather than focusing on relaying useful information to the public. Negative stories seem to sell these days because that is what the media feeds society. Entertainment media has no doubt always been a big impact on our culture. It greatly influences the way we think and act. The more negative that is portrayed, the more negative people become. So in a way our culture is a reflection of entertainment media because when there is a negative event that is being greatly focused on and exposed by the media, it is what we talk about around the dinner table or in the office.

References University of Phoenix. (2012). Exploring media and culture . Retrieved from University of Phoenix, HUM186 website.