"But is the promotion for live entertainment a real necessity for human individuals to progress through life happily?"
I will admit, when I heard that he had passed, I questioned who that was. Don't judge me haha, I'm not one to watch movies and be able to recognize the names of actors or actresses. However once I discussed his passing with my dad, I was able to do so.
Now the question is, is the promotion for live entertainment a real necessity for human individuals to progress through life happily? I went on yahoo yesterday to check my email, and surprisingly enough, news popped up about Williams' passing (sarcasm intended). I was a bit curious at the time as to who this celebrity was and how he died since everyone had been talking about him, so I clicked on one of the pages. It was there that I read that ABC News was showing live aerial views of the Williams' home.
Wait, what? Really now? That's absolutely upsetting - to go so low as to place cameras in front of a house whose family is mourning inside - this proves that news companies would do anything to increase their viewers and sales. It was not "action-valued" news, and once again, everything had become everyone's business. Despite that, fans responded negatively, and eventually ABC News took the cameras down."When we realized there was no news value to the live stream, we took it
down immediately," ABC News said in a statement. "Our intention was not
to be insensitive to his family, friends and fans, and for that we
apologize."
I believe that it was not the realization of the news' value that had them take it down, but the negative reactions from their viewers. Had their viewers responded with interest, they most likely would have retained their live stream.
My condolences to his family, and thank you for reading.
I think numerous readers would say that the promotion of live entertainment is not necessary for our happiness. As our parents like to remind us, our ancestors didn't have television, the internet, or cell phones, but they didn't spontaneously combust from being filled with ennui! In fact, I'm sure at least some of them were happy, so it is probably possible for us to be happy to without live entertainment. I have a follow-up question: what if live entertainment is actually increasing our depression and sadness instead of our happiness? I was reading "Slate: Selfie-Loathing," which is one of articles under Ms. Fletcher's "Worth Reading" list. I would definitely recommend everyone read it. It's not directly about live entertainment, but I believe its theme still relates. I won't tell you everything because you should all read it, but it talks about how Facebook and specifically Instagram can lead to lonely and negative feelings among users. If Instagram has such power over us, can other forms of technology have similar negative effects? We may think our technology makes us happy, but does it really? With that cheerful note, hope everyone find happiness today!
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DeleteAlthough our ancestors did not have television, the internet, or cell phones, didn't they invent songs, dances, and games for the sole purpose of their entertainment? Also, even though boredom may not kill us, those who are bored more frequently will be more likely to die at an earlier age, according to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1249073/You-really-bored-death-scientists-discover.html
DeleteDon't babies begin to cry if they are left unentertained? I do believe that we need entertainment to live; just not as much as we are getting in today's society.
Good point Robert! Yes, entertainment is a pretty big part of our lives. I was just specifically mentioning entertainment that requires the use of technology. I don't know what life would be like without music, dance, drama, sports, games, and fun. Those forms of entertainment were a part of our ancestors' lives and are still a part of ours. I was simply saying that we can be happy without technological entertainment, not necessarily ALL entertainment.
DeleteWhile I do agree, I believe that our ancestors had other means of amusing themselves since they did not have technology, just as Robert has said.
DeleteI feel that if they had had technology in their time, they would have been addicted to it as well. However since they did not, they were "addicted" to other forms of entertainment.
To answer your question, I believe that the internet does increase depression and sadness. Cyberbullying - for some reason, people think it is okay to speak negatively of others in front of a screen. But if it was in person, they would not consider doing it at all. Why is this? Not facing the victim in person makes it okay?
Insecurity. The feeling of wanting to be connected. Putting down others to make themselves feel better. Some of the many reasons why people cyberbully.
Another reason for this could be the feeling of wanting to be accepted, girls especially. They see pictures of girls on social media with an extreme amount of likes and comments due to being attractive. This makes them want others to think that they are pretty, resulting in them becoming insecure.
I am glad that you mentioned this as I am constantly being annoyed by emphasizing of what is considered a sad event for society. Now the loss of life is usually not a positive thing, when it gets blown out of proportion for the sake of ratings or memorabilia capitalizing on their passing, it retracts from the life of the person. The over-coverage of a school shooting is a perfect example of this. Though it is sad, after 2 days it ceases to be news and is merely playing off of the sympathies of the more emotional viewers at the cost of those involved.
ReplyDeleteI agree. While it is sad, people are moving on with their lives. Dragging on the newscast does nothing other than attempt to amuse us, which unfortunately succeeds.
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