Artikel

Informatie via ontspanning

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Abstract

Information and entertainment - In the first place this study examines the position of information and entertainment in the three media: press, radio and television. In relation to political information television doubtlessly possesses the strongest impact. Through the interaction of word and image this medium bestows even on information a tension and thereby a recreation element. From the point of view of recreation itself it makes no sense to draw a rigid distinction between information, entertainment, education and culture. Apart from the wholesome function of entertainment as a possibility of emotional identification, recreation in the media fulfils not just a secondary or inferior role, but very often a varied one (e.g. musical broadcasts). As a result of a number of deficiencies of the information programs (lack of balance in the choice of the subjects, personality cult, shortage of investigative information), information is carried away by the flow of superficial and empty entertainment. According to some media critics - in particular marxist ones - the information, which has itself a very restricted content, becomes deliberately suffocated by the all dominating entertainment, which is kept superficial and contentless. But information and entertainment can go hand in hand in a creative way and can positively affect each other. Entertainment programs may be important in the informative field (e.g. satirical and socio-critical programs). Their informative value is proved by the fact that politicians are extremely susceptible for such entertainment programs when they are broadcast through a network which normally brings political information. Informative programs may on the other hand fulfil a recreative function through the presence of tension, through formal elements, through individualisation or through their specific content (informative programs about the companies’ own entertainment broadcasts). Especially the so-called magazines illustrate the interpenetration of information and entertainment. This type of program originated from the assumption that the majority of the audience neither wants to be educated nor to be amply informed, as well as from the perception that this majority prefers music, especially light music. Some critics define this “genre” as a “soother”, but opinion polls have proved that the spreading of information - even political one - through entertainment works out successfully. In Belgium, where in comparison to other countries television offers a very educative program, information almost dominates entertainment. Since the conversion, however, of the national program into an information net- work the rest of the program offer has been radically changed. In the remaining programs information will for a long time occupy an inferior position. Accordingly the question is in how far information will have to undergo the levelling down caused by the increasing amount of entertainment.

How to Cite:

Briers, J., (1975) “Informatie via ontspanning”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 20(1), 31–55. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.95990