Popular music and culture have impacts greatly on lifestyle whether it’s today’s socio-behavioural methods or those of yesteryear. So what impact does entertainment have on today’s culture and how does it affect the way we live.
Entertainment comes in the form of music, presentation, comedy, acting, and dancing and audience participation. There are cultures throughout the world that have changed the way they behave because of entertainment. Lifestyle takes on a whole new direction.
A century ago during a period in the western world known as The Roaring Twenties (1920-1929) lifestyles changed radically. People lived more energetic lives, acted less staid and became a tad more daring. Jazz music, ragtime and even the blues developed and replaced the classical, proper and standardised forms of entertainment.
The Swinging Sixties (1963-1969) created a cultural revolution of free love, a break from the establishment and radically changing attitudes towards social etiquette. And so still today entertainment has an impact on modern life.
Since the turn of the century, there has been more focus on society becoming stars themselves. Karaoke as a form of entertainment meant WE could sing along to our favourite tunes and in front of a small audience, then the arrival of video sharing websites like YouTube meant we were entertaining thousands if not millions.
People were becoming famous through entertainment channels showing reality television shows like American Idol, Big Brother, X Factor and Paradise Island. Everyone (well a few anyway) wants to be a star. Lifestyle among the young has changed attitudes to such a point there now seems to be little or no rebellious nature among today’s youth.
When was the last true rebellious culture in modern society? It was probably the club and dance craze of the 1990s and the Brit Pop explosion developed in the United Kingdom. Prior to that there was the Rave Culture, New Romantics and Goth cultures, the hippies and the punks – the list goes on but since the turn of the century it has largely been stifled.
Today’s big entertainers’ however, have had little impact on what we wear and style. Very few dress up looking like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber or Rihanna. But it was once trendy to dress like our entertainment heroes: the rock and roll stars of the 1950s spawned a passion for Teddy boy attire, beatniks dressed to impress in the sixties and the saccharine seventies saw us grow our hair long and our jeans wide and flared. Entertainment in the 21st century has a lesser impact on style and dress sense.
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