In the last few years, there has been a major shift in home entertainment. It has moved from being a solitary activity to being something that, because of our connectivity, can be experienced with friends. Everything, from the way that we communicate to the way that things are experienced, has had a major shift with the growth of the internet and the use of mobile devices. A major emphasis is being put on experiences rather than things.
The internet and social media allow for the things that people experience with their friends to be archived forever, rather than just remaining as a memory. This was made possible with social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The present moment can be shared with anybody in any part of the world. With people having better access to more comfortable internet speeds, streaming was made possible, allowing users to broadcast in real-time, wonderful moments and share them with the world.
Changes in Home Entertainment
Today, the entertainment industry is in a constant state of change, new platforms are being developed or expanded upon, allowing people to be more involved in what they would like to see. We have come a long way since television was the most prominent home entertainment, but now, with online platforms such as social media and other streaming platforms such as Netflix, Twitch, and Amazon, people are able to choose what they would like to see, everything from movies and TV shows being at their disposal.
What is more important is that individual people now can make their content based on their interests and platforms such as Youtube can be used to make personal shows that cater to individuals sharing the same interests and ideas. With the right amount of followers, many on Youtube can make a decent living which creates an incentive to continue producing more videos. It can easily be said that Youtube and streaming services have almost entirely replaced the usual television habits that were prominent a decade ago.
Youtube, which is now the most popular video hosting website, has been able to create social media celebrities such as PewDiePie, which as of today has over 100,000,000 subscribers, surpassed only by T-Series, which is India’s largest film production company and music record label. This is a perfect example of how much entertainment has changed with social media and how individual channels with specific content is able to go toe-to-toe with a major company.
Alternate Information and Entertainment
All parts of mass media have been affected, influenced or disrupted by digital and social media. Because mobile devices are used by the majority, anybody can document and share events happening in the world. This has created a rift in journalism between traditional news outlets and social media, with many channels on Youtube, for example, is dedicated to real-world journalism, competing against traditional news outlets. Another area that has been greatly affected over time is the video game industry. Most single-player games have been replaced by multiplayer and social games and many of these can be accessed through a service such as Xbox Game Pass, Uplay and EA’s Origin Access.
Gambling has also changed with this new generation of entertainment, with most regional casino companies making their presence online through social and online casino websites as well as applications that can be easily accessed by anybody with a mobile device. Social platforms such as Facebook have demonstrated that people enjoy playing social games, an example would be Farmville and Zynga Poker, which has become the largest website for poker in the world. Therefore, the games are being developed in such a way that they include some sort of social feature. The possibility of gambling without the need of leaving your home has been very attractive for people that usually participate in casino experiences and social media and the internet has permitted casino companies to develop and make games such as poker, roulette and slots that people can enjoy on their device.
The Focus of Modern Entertainment
New media and old media take different approaches when it comes to the way they distribute information. The mobile device is the first method of distributing information, especially through social media through posts and shares. Surveys have shown that breaking news that people hear about will want to research it more by visiting major news websites and organizations. Also, news distribution through social media reaches people much sooner than by traditional means such as television. A social platform such as Facebook and Twitter have shown to be perfect for staying up to date with everything that happens in the world and many companies saw the potential of these platforms and have taken advantage of it.