The New World of Entertainment

Entertainment has become part of our life. It is our parallel universe we choose to escape to, every now and then, from the ordinary, stressful, life. Films, theatre, music, sports and all forms of creative art have the power to take the audience beyond the limits of conceptual thinking by means of creating strong emotions and experiences. We see more and more people choosing, in a conscious way, the type and content of entertainment they are willing to experience. Media and television broadcasters, with a product-oriented philosophy approach, lose their privileged spot in favor of the private platforms and applications focused on the customer personality and desires. It does not happen by chance. Mass media is often used as a manipulation tool, information and content are doubtful. Entertainment and fake news are often put together and used to create panic and fear. Looking at the big picture one could notice that 21 Century consumers are evolved human beings, with access to information, underestimated by those, too politically busy, to observe it.

There is a new era of entertainment. Interactive forms of entertainment and personalized products trigger the emotional involvement and positive reactions of the audience, ready for adventure and adrenaline. Customers are switching from a passive state of contemplation to an active state, ready to get involved in the screenplay, together with the favorite characters. Some may get excited to be involved in problem solving or decision making. In return for their loyalty, entertainers have to provide fair, original and inspirational contents to the customers.

Entertainment in the form of celebrity culture, stories, gossip and reality shows and the psychology behind it explains the influence of celebrities on the audience. The psychological aspects of the active and passive participation of people In the mental and emotional adventure is basically explained by the following arguments:

1. Identification with the characters, mainly for the young generation, which brings up a sensitive subject about ethics, the educational and inspirational function of the entertainment industry;

2. Fantasy and its therapeutic role by means of entertainment, often use as an escape door to overcome frustrations and alleviate pain;

3. Projection, where people tend to project their emotions or state of mind on a character or story;

4. Regression, as a reminder of the past, where people go back in time, live those unique moments or aspects of their inner child.

No matter which form of entertainment each customer chooses to experience, from a mere interest to actual involvement or even addiction, the entertainers bear the responsibility for their contents since it has such a strong impact on people’s lives.