Role of entertainment during COVID-19

We are well aware about the disastrous impact of novel coronavirus pandemic. It has created an enormous disruption in our lives; people are likely to be experiencing worry, anxiety, and fear; there are distresses like financial, emotional, and social.

Before proceeding further, need a pause button on our mind; just imagine the present-day life – the life in this lockdown, amid economic depression without entertainment options. Imagine life without television, mobile, tablet, laptop, and radio, or any other electronic gadgets. This looks scary; isn’t it? Since the inception of humans, entertainment has been an integral part of our society. In history, ways of entertainment were different; popular were dance-dramas.

In the present digital age, approach of entertainment has changed. Different kinds of people have different means to entertain themselves. Some people like to listen to songs and music on their smart home theater system, some others like to watch daily soaps, movies, and web series on their 60-inch LED smart TV, whereas some people will spend their time in online activities on their mobile, tablet, desktop, or laptop, busy with their popular or favorite shows and games. Some others like to spend their time with their friends and family members, and chat with them to get fun and entertainment indoor or outdoor. But during this pandemic, options of entertainment have shrunk, and it is limited to your indoor options only.

We all are experiencing that entertainment has given massive psychological support to human kind in this tough time. There is flood of content on digital platforms, numerous daily soaps on television, movies to watch, and an ample number of music channels to energize life. People may agree or disagree but the fact is that entertainment is relieving our tension and diverting our mind considerably away from continuous negative news.

There are many reports in media that show unprecedented consumption growth in the entertainment segment. Few experts may say that people are at home, therefore, there is surge in the entertainment content consumption, but we cannot avoid the fact entertainment is a driving force to keep people indoors. Medically proven, quality entertainment helps to release endorphins hormones that are responsible for feeling good. This is helping people to deal with stress, and preparing mind to recover emotionally. Entertainment is one of the best distractions at this hour, keeping people engaged with old shows, movies, and songs. If we decide to go without entertainment, stress will make a house in our mind and we would start to remain frustrated.

If entrainment is a stress treatment in this lockdown, then we must not forget about the power capsule, music. Yes, music has always been a capsule to re-awake our sensory, relive the old moments, energize the environment, and make any situation full of joy and love. Music can bring tears, joy, happiness, love, set moods, emotions, and enrich the experience. There are also various reports validating that there is tremendous growth in music consumption across all mediums and platforms. This is a really good sign that people are finding ways of keeping stress and tension at bay.

When we look around in the society, people are working real hard to fight with the situation. Same way entertainment professionals are working hard to entertain you, bringing things to watch, listen, and enjoy with the spirit the show must go on. They are also passive corona warriors, but are not getting even a single word of appreciation. It is true entertainment professionals are not directly involved in this corona war, but indirectly they are on their toes. There are thousands of people who are working in television, radio, and digital platforms to engage you. As everyone is facing hard time for their survival, this is happening with entertainment industry also. There are salary cuts, job losses, and many companies are at the verge of closing down their operations; still, they are putting in all efforts to put a smile on your face.