Entertainment: Difference between revisions

Entertainment can be distinguished from other activities such as education and marketing even though they have learned how to use the appeal of entertainment to achieve their different goals. Sometimes entertainment can be a mixture for both. The importance and impact of entertainment is recognised by scholars<ref>For example, the application of psychological models and theories to entertainment is discussed in Part III of {{cite book|last=Bryant|first=Jennings|title=Psychology of Entertainment|year=2006|publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc|location=Mahwah, NJ|isbn=978-0-8058-5238-7|pages=367–434|author2=Vorderer, Peter}}</ref><ref name="Sayre">{{cite book|ref=CITEREFSayreKing2010|last=Sayre|first=Shay|title=Entertainment and Society: Influences, Impacts, and Innovations (Google eBook)|year=2010|publisher=Routledge|location=Oxon; New York|isbn=978-0-415-99806-2|edition=2nd|author2=King, Cynthia}} p. 22.</ref> and its increasing sophistication has [[Influence of the IBM PC on the personal computer market|influenced]] practices in other fields such as [[museology]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Conservation, Education, Entertainment?|year=2011|publisher=Channel View Publication|isbn=978-1-84541-164-0|editor=Frost, Warwick}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Museum Revolutions|year=2007|publisher=Routledge|location=Oxon; New York|isbn=978-0-203-93264-3|author1=Macleod, Suzanne |author2=Watson, Sheila |editor=Knell, Simon J.}}</ref>

Entertainment also evolved into different forms and expressions as a result of social upheavals such as wars and revolutions. During the Chinese [[Cultural Revolution]], for example, [[Revolutionary opera]] was sanctioned by the Communist party and [[World War I]], the [[Great Depression]] and the [[Russian Revolution]] all affected entertainment.<ref>{{cite book|last=Roshwald|first=Aviel|title=European Culture in the Great War: The Arts, Entertainment and Propaganda, 1914–1918|year=2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-57015-2|author2=Stites, Richard}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Heinrich|first=Anselm|title=Heinrich, Entertainment, propaganda, education: regional theatre in Germany and Britain between 1918 and 1945|year=2007|publisher=University of Hertfordshire Press|location=Hatfield, England|isbn=978-1-902806-74-7|editor=Meech, Tony}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Arthur|first=Max|title=When this bloody war is over: soldiers' songs from the First World War|year=2001|publisher=Piatkus|location=London|isbn=978-0-7499-2252-8}}</ref><ref name="David Horn, Dave Laing, Paul Oliver, Peter Wicke, Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Part 1 Media, Industry, Society,">{{cite book|title=Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Part 1 Media, Industry, Society|year=2003|publisher=Continuum|isbn=978-0-8264-6321-0|author1=Laing, Dave |author2=Oliver, Paul |author3=Wicke, Peter |editor=Horn, David}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=McReynolds|first=Louise|title=Russia at Play: Leisure Activities at the End of the Tsarist Era|year=2003|publisher=Cornell University|isbn=978-0-8014-4027-4}}</ref>

Imperial and royal courts have provided training grounds and support for professional entertainers, with different cultures using palaces, castles and forts in different ways. In the [[Maya civilization|Maya city states]], for example, "spectacles often took place in large plazas in front of palaces; the crowds gathered either there or in designated places from which they could watch at a distance."<ref name=Walthall>{{cite book|title=Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History|year=2008|publisher=University of California Press|location=London|isbn=978-0-520-25443-5|editor=Walthall, Anne|ref=CITEREFWalthall2008}} pp.&nbsp;4–5.</ref> Court entertainments also crossed cultures. For example, the [[Durbar (court)|durbar]] was introduced to India by the [[Mughal emperors|Mughals]], and passed onto the [[British Empire]], which then followed Indian tradition: "institutions, titles, customs, ceremonies by which a [[Maharaja]] or [[Nawab]] were installed&nbsp;... the exchange of official presents&nbsp;... the order of precedence", for example, were "all inherited from&nbsp;... the Emperors of Delhi".<ref name="Indian Princes">{{cite book|last1=Allen|first1=Charles|author-link = Charles Allen (writer)|last2 = Dwivedi|first2=Sharada|author-link2 = Sharada Dwivedi|title=Lives of the Indian Princes|year=1984|publisher=Century Publishing|location=London|isbn=978-0-7126-0910-4|page=210}}</ref> In Korea, the "court entertainment dance" was "originally performed in the palace for entertainment at court banquets."<ref name="Van Zile">{{cite book|last=Van Zile|first=Judy|title=Perspectives on Korean Dance|year=2001|publisher=Wesleyan University Press|location=Middletown, CN|isbn=978-0-8195-6494-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/perspectivesonko0000vanz}} p. 36.</ref>

Court ceremonies, palace banquets and the spectacles associated with them, have been used not only to entertain but also to demonstrate wealth and power. Such events reinforce the relationship between ruler and ruled; between those with power and those without, serving to "dramatise the differences between ordinary families and that of the ruler".{{sfnp|Walthall|2008}} This is the case as much as for traditional courts as it is for contemporary ceremonials, such as the [[Hong Kong handover ceremony]] in 1997, at which an array of entertainments (including a banquet, a parade, fireworks, a festival performance and an art spectacle) were put to the service of highlighting a change in political power. Court entertainments were typically performed for royalty and courtiers as well as "for the pleasure of local and visiting dignitaries".{{sfnp|Van Zile|2001|p=6}} Royal courts, such as the Korean one, also supported traditional dances.{{sfnp|Van Zile|2001|p=6}} In Sudan, musical instruments such as the so-called "slit" or "talking" drums, once "part of the court orchestra of a powerful chief", had multiple purposes: they were used to make music; "speak" at ceremonies; mark community events; send long-distance messages; and call men to hunt or war.<ref name="Slit Drum">{{cite web|last=McGregor|first=Neil|title=Episode 94: Sudanese Slit Drum (Transcript)|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/transcripts/episode94/|work=History of the World in 100 Objects|publisher=BBC Radio 4/British Museum|access-date=6 February 2013|archive-date=15 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615000158/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/transcripts/episode94/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=McGregor>{{cite book|last=McGregor|first=Neil|title=A History of the World in 100 objects|year=2010|publisher=Allen Lane|location=London|isbn=978-1-84614-413-4|pages=613–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/FMgugdskR7eaWj_ST2fAeQ| title = British Museum catalogue image of Sudanese slit drum| access-date = 20 December 2019| archive-date = 27 December 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191227151825/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/FMgugdskR7eaWj_ST2fAeQ| url-status = live}}</ref>

Like court entertainment, royal occasions such as coronations and weddings provided opportunities to entertain both the [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocracy]] and the people. For example, the splendid 1595 [[Accession Day]] celebrations of [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]] offered [[tournament]]s and jousting and other events performed "not only before the assembled court, in all their finery, but also before thousands of Londoners eager for a good day's entertainment. Entry for the day's events at the [[Tiltyard]] in [[Palace of Whitehall|Whitehall]] was set at [[History of the English penny (1485–1603)#Elizabeth I|12d]]".<ref name=Bevington>{{cite book|title=The Politics of the Stuart Court Masque|year=1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-59436-3|author=Holbrook, Peter|editor=Bevington, David|pages=42–43}}</ref>

Most forms of entertainment can be or are modified to suit children's needs and interests. During the 20th century, starting with the often criticised but nonetheless important work of [[G. Stanley Hall]], who "promoted the link between the study of development and the 'new' laboratory psychology",<ref name=Thompson>{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Dennis |last2=Hogan |first2=John D. |last3=Clark |first3=Philip M. |title=Developmental Psychology in Historical Perspective |year=2012 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |location=Malden, MA; Oxford |isbn=978-1-4051-6747-5 |page=18}}</ref> and especially with the work of [[Jean Piaget]], who "saw cognitive development as being analogous to biological development",{{sfnp|Thompson|Hogan|Clark|2012|p=114}} it became understood that the [[Developmental psychology|psychological development]] of children occurs in stages and that their capacities differ from adults. Hence, stories and activities, whether in books, film, or video games were developed specifically for child audiences. Countries have responded to the special needs of children and the rise of digital entertainment by developing systems such as [[television content rating systems]], to guide the public and the entertainment industry.

In the 21st century, as with adult products, much entertainment is available for children on the internet for private use. This constitutes a significant change from earlier times. The amount of time expended by children indoors on screen-based entertainment and the "remarkable collapse of children's engagement with nature" has drawn criticism for its negative effects on [[imagination]], adult [[cognition]] and [[Subjective well-being|psychological well-being]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Cobb|first=Edith|title=The ecology of imagination in childhood|year=1977|publisher=Columbia University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-231-03870-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Louv|first=Richard|title=Last Child in the Woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder|year= 2005|publisher=Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill|location=Chapel Hill, NC|isbn=978-1-56512-391-5|title-link=Last Child in the Woods}}</ref><ref name="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/19/children-lose-contact-with-nature">{{cite news|last=Monbiot|first=George|title=If children lose contact with nature they won't fight for it|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/nov/19/children-lose-contact-with-nature|access-date=29 November 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 November 2012|archive-date=25 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925052205/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/nov/19/children-lose-contact-with-nature|url-status=live}}</ref>

The wide variety of musical performances, whether or not they are artificially [[Amplifier|amplified]], all provide entertainment irrespective of whether the performance is from [[Solo (music)|soloists]], [[Choir|choral]] or orchestral groups, or [[Musical ensemble|ensemble]]. Live performances use specialised venues, which might be small or large; indoors or outdoors; free or expensive.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Kronenburg |first=Robert |title=Live architecture: popular music venues, stages, and arenas |publisher=Abingdon, Oxon [England] ; New York, NY : Routledge |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-415-56192-1 |location=Abingdon, Oxford; New York}}</ref> The audiences have different expectations of the performers as well as of their own role in the performance. For example, some audiences expect to listen silently and are entertained by the excellence of the music, its rendition or its interpretation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dingle |first=Christopher |editor-first1=Christopher |editor-last1=Dingle |title=The Cambridge History of Music Criticism |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-139-79542-5 |location=Cambridge, UK |doi=10.1017/9781139795425|s2cid=241762186 }}</ref> Other audiences of live performances are entertained by the ambience and the chance to participate. Even more listeners are entertained by pre-recorded music and listen privately.