Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Logos, Pathos, and Entertainment
Ryohei Nakatsu
Interactive & Digital Media Instutite, National University of Singapore
21 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, I-Cube Building Level 2,
Singapore 119613
idmdir@nus.edu.sg
Abstract.
Various new entertainments using information and media
technologies have emerged and have been accepted among people all over the
world. Casual and heavy games, communications using mobile phones, blogs,
and twitters are such kinds of new entertainments. It is important to discuss the
basic characteristics of such entertainment and to which direction they would
direct our societies. In this paper, a comparative study of entertainment in
developing countries vs. developed countries, in old days and in nowadays will
be carried out. Also future relationship between entertainment and our society
will be described.
Keywords:
Entertainment, new media, logos, pathos, Plato, The Tale of Genji,
Illiad.
1 Introduction
New technologies such as network technologies, information technologies, and media
technologies are rapidly changing our society; human relationship, our life style, our
communications, and so on. Entertainment is one of the areas to which these new
technologies are influencing strongly. One good example is games. Playing computer
games and video games are one of the common daily activities of people especially
for young generation. Also online-games are becoming very popular among young
generation in US and Asian countries. Another good example is communications.
People communicate with their families and friends using e-mails, mobile phone
based mails, SNS, twitters, etc. Until 1980s communication media such as telephones
were mainly used for business communications. However nowadays communications
are something more that business conversations and became everyday entertainment.
There are lots of discussions on these phenomena but most of them are observing
only what is happening in our society and reporting the fact that more and more
people are spending time for these new entertainments. However unfortunately there
are only a few considerations on the basic reason why these new entertainments have
been accepted by people all over the world. Some of the fundamental questions are; Is
this a totally new phenomenon in our long history or not? Which aspect of our society
is changing based on the introduction of these new entertainments and how much.
Also more difficult question to answer is that to which direction these entertainment is
leading our society. In other words what would be the future of our society where it is
expected that people would spend more time for enjoying entertainment than now.
