Welcome to “Nightly 99”, a late radio show discussing different aspects in our pop culture.

Here, many
phenomena will be dismantled (end), showing how and why they affect the society we’re living in today.
I’m Sam Claflin, your host. And the topic of today’s talk will be “Education has more power than
weapons”.

Nowadays, the educational potential of entertainment media has been widely acknowledged, with
varying degrees of enthusiasm. For as long as we live, we will constantly witness the effects of
entertainment’s colossal (massive/huge/gigantic) impact on society, be it positive or negative. It is
known that one of the great challenges of today is that we often feel untouched by the problems of
others and by global issues, even when we could easily do something to help. We don't believe strongly
enough that we are part of a larger we, a global community. Giving people access to data is not an act of
empowerment; instead, it overwhelms them. This is where the entertainment industry and art can make
a difference. Art does not tell people what to do, but the way art is presented to us can stimulate
thought and steer our emotions in a very profound way.

There has been no greater disseminator of culture in the history of humankind than the entertainment
industry. We are all drawn to entertainment, and some people have an endless appetite for more of it,
so it is constantly produced. Movies, TV shows, songs, and online games, which are consumed every day
by the general public and often form their perceptions through messages contained in these media, are
now all responsible for social awareness, trend definition, and culture shaping. Therefore, some studies
emphasized the widespread use of social media as well as its diverse influence on people’s beliefs and
opinions, stereotypes, and attitudes. Not only can it make merry, but it can also have a significant impact
on gender and ethnic stereotypes, change attitudes towards certain groups of people, and cause newly
formed opinions on various issues. That’s why people from Gen Z or Gen Alpha now get their news from
social media than from newspapers, and people from Millenials or Baby Boomers look to television as an
information source. What a striking contrast!

As mentioned above, our entertainment culture often permeates (penetrate/ absorb) our daily lives and
deeply impacts our personal perceptions and attitudes about social issues, often without any of us
realizing it. Empirical = experienced (thuc nghiem) research on media effects in these relevant areas has
been mixed and highly controversial. Many studies have asserted that media have negative social effects
and help aggravate (make it worse) a number of social problems, while other studies show skepticism
toward claims of adverse media effects or make an endeavor to confirm positive aspects of the media.

On the bright side, the advocates of the entertainment industry reckon that youngsters are, to some
extent, affected positively by celebrities’ performances. Having said that, most famous personas are
given voice through media concerns in this century of perfect information transmission. There is no
denying that these stars give a great deal of influence to their fans. Their performances will be the
messages they send to youngsters. They raise people’s awareness about different parts of the world,
and their attitudes towards the problems of society are hotly debated. Many appreciate them a lot, are
crazy for them, and even imitate their every single act. It would be great if people were smart enough to
make judgments about their idols. Those who violate moral standards or spread ignorance will quickly
lose people's hearts. Only those who give out compassion and empathy can stand strong and act as their
educational models. But how is it going if these fans are immature and cannot distinguish whether
something is right or wrong? It is the point at which the effects of entertainment media turn negative.
Low self-esteem, a negative body image, and comparing oneself to the ideals depicted in the media are
examples of the negative impacts that celebrities can have on individuals. Celebrity tabloids, gossip
magazines, and movies give women the message that fashion and beauty are competitions and create
beauty stereotypes. Numerous studies have shown that adolescent girls who are regular readers of
fashion and beauty magazines are more likely to have a distorted (meo mo,lech lac) body image during
their teenage years, and that the prevalence of eating disorders is often linked to dramas featuring
excessively thin female idols as lead characters.

Besides, art has always been the perfect medium through which to convey ideas, emotions, and notions
to others. Nevertheless, art, in any form, including songs, books, paintings, movies and so on, only
serves to enhance beauty and sensitivity through beauty, which is why most of the artwork that goes
under the hammer gets sold at exorbitant rates and the sum in question is often staggering (shock).
Often, art is believed to be used to convey a humane idea and reflect reality. However, how many works
of art can do that? Or are they never impartial and just include the author's opinion about social things
and provoke readers and viewers as the author wants?

Furthermore, there is no doubt that if citizens want a change in their own lives, then a social action of
some form must inherently (von co) be undertaken. Socially progressive movements can be and have
been implemented in various forms and on different levels in order to transform societies. Today,
however, social movements occur in an age in which entertainment media have created new
possibilities for the world to bear witness and for activists to support or denounce (to cao).

The first models of mass communication built on studies of propaganda (predication su tuyen tryen),
film influence, advertising, and other media studies, assuming a direct and powerful influence of media
on the audience. This model became known as the "bullet" or "hypodermic" theory, asserting that the
media directly shape thought and behavior and thus induce (cause) social problems like crime, child
mistreatment, domestic violence, rebellious social behavior, mindless consumption, or mass political
behavior. The propaganda role of the media can also promote the companies’ funding campaigns for the
politician.

The entertainment industry is increasingly demanded by today’s consumers, who are very loud,
enthusiastic, and highly demanding of content delivery based on media, context, schedule, and
preferences. As it’s well known, entertainment has radically changed the way people consume content;
it has changed both the production and consumption of content. As a result, some organizations
capitalize on its significant influence on consumerism by incorporating socially responsible products into
their current product development. It can encourage  diversity in hiring, but it is negative for consumers
if these products contain prejudice or discrimination. Thus, consumers should always be careful when
consuming these products.

Without making a single loud shot, as you can see, a supersonic and vocal impact is still made out of the
gun of environment. Nonetheless, entertainment had better allow activism rather than be a
disadvantage. The other conclusion is that people should be skeptical and objective when it comes to
media consumption, and they should not believe everything they read or hear. And that’s it for today,
Nightly 99!