Entertainment Studies - A Perspective

Entertainment involves generating an external stimulus, be it a positive or negative emotion (or a combination), in a satisfying manner. Entertainment is sometimes associated to the arts. Within the discipline of humanities, there is also the study of popular culture and its impacts on our daily lives. Entertainment is also subsumed under the study of the creative industries and its related discussions of intellectual property and commercial viability. At times, entertainment is discussed within the framework of media studies in the field of social sciences. Falling back on the basic definition of entertainment, this paper seeks to offer a perspective to isolate entertainment as a possible standalone discipline, under the umbrella of Entertainment Studies. Three areas of Entertainment Studies are discussed in this paper, and they include entertainment arts, entertainment management and entertainment industries. Finally, the paper also explores the possible passivity of the audience in the entertainment context.