Entertainment Media

Both the forms of media whose general purpose is to engage viewers' attention and serve as a means of diversion, escape, gratification, or relaxation as well as the vehicle of those forms. In the first usage, examples include television programs, film, consumer magazines, novels, Web sites, computer games, music, “soft” feature news, political talk radio, and, in some circumstances, advertisements. In the second usage, the term may refer to the physical magazine, book, CD, or DVD that contains the entertainment content. Streaming video and computer games are virtual vehicles of this usage of the term. The line between the two usages can be quite fine given that, for example, television is a medium of entertainment and television itself delivers entertainment media.

Though entertainment media as a whole describes those outlets that are commonly differentiated from news or information media, news about celebrities and other types of “soft” feature stories, for instance, would likely fall under the category of entertainment. Entertainment media are outlets for the expression of popular culture and as such are subject to stigmatization, possibly criticized for pandering to the masses. The blurring of the line between news and entertainment can have an impact on factual information. The cable channel Comedy Central's program The Daily Show offers an example of entertainment that parodies a news program and has been touted as a common source—especially for young adults—of actual news information. Advertising, too, is often enjoyed for its entertainment value alone and is increasingly produced with such consumption in mind.