Any kind of entertainment has two purposes: on the sociological side, it helps in bringing people together and on the psychological side, it provides pleasure. It is true that Western culture is nurturing passive types of entertainment such as television viewing, attending a concert, or viewing a movie, all of which are passive in nature. There is no active involvement of the individual in these acts of entertainment.
Thus, while the psychological component of entertainment, namely individual pleasure is catered to, the sociological component of entertainment seems to be ignored in present day Western culture. If we look at history one does find that singing and dancing have often been a popular activity in the sixteenth century. Even today the Eastern countries do have rituals involving community participation in singing and dancing. Only in the West and more particularly in the United States that such active entertainment is being increasingly substituted with passive activities in recent times.
Why has this shift happened? There are four major factors that contribute towards this shift: immigration, technology, economy and education. Immigration has brought in a very highly stratified society. More and more stratified different social classes vie for visibility in entertainment fare. Immigration has also brought in many religions such as Buddhism, Islam, Scientology, Hinduism and so on. Earlier days, people danced and sang together in the name of religion. The increasing number of religions makes it difficult for people to join together on the religious platform. This is reflected in diverse markets for diverse entertainment fare.
This makes it difficult for different kinds of people to meet on a common platform through arts. Technology is another factor. The acquisition of televisions in the decades following 1950 and computer games following 1975 and their extensive use as a pastime have created dramatic changes in American cultural values. Moreover, a given individual may turn to a wide gamut of recorded music for any task and at any hour of the day, and if using a walkman may listen to music nearly everywhere.
This allows him to have the pleasure of music without the sociological component. A third factor is the economy. The middle class people are today more literate and also have money to spend. This has resulted in opening of doors to opera, public musical performance, reading clubs, and salons – all of these taking away people from active participation in the realm of entertainment. Fourth, public education focuses more on building tedious skills rather than entertaining skills.
Thus, in the world today, art and entertainment has become a commodity, and the artist’s survival depends on what the various publics need. Though the basic pleasure-giving functions of the arts and entertainment had not changed, their emergence as institutions managed by cadres of professionals and supported by technicians represents a complex state of affairs. The fact that people still yearn for the sociological component of entertainment is seen in the way people flock together in stadiums to see a match rather than watch it on television.