A Study on the Role of the Media and Its Effect on the Identity of Muslims (Part 14)
The Role of Media in Entertainment and Leisure Time
Moein lexicon defines the word “leisure” as “to deal with leisure, comfort, rest, and relaxation.”
The Concept and Nature of Leisure
Leisure is not a concept that can be searched for and found in ancient times or the agricultural age; it is a phenomenon closely related to technology and is one of the characteristics of civilization that was born during the Industrial Revolution. The concept of leisure is not necessarily synonymous with fun; rather, it refers to the time and freedom that a person has, which they spend as they please. In other words, leisure encompasses a set of activities that a person engages in for rest, enjoyment, information enhancement, education, and social and voluntary participation after fulfilling work, family, and social duties.
The famous French sociologist Jou Ferdo Mazdiyeh summarizes the positive functions of leisure as follows:
1. It gives a person a chance to escape the tiredness of work, as fatigue is imposed on the natural biological rhythm of humans and directly influences their system.
2. Through entertainment, regardless of societal perceptions of its permissibility, doors to new worlds—whether real or imaginary—are opened to individuals, allowing them to escape the daily fatigue caused by performing a series of limited and repetitive tasks.
Entertainment Role
In today’s world, dominated by technology, humans have an intense need for rest and entertainment to alleviate the anxieties and worries stemming from a difficult, machine-driven life; this helps facilitate better and more productive efforts. Mass communication tools are considered the most important means of recreation and entertainment for people, decisively influencing the behavioral patterns of human leisure time by broadcasting and publishing entertaining programs. Through these mediums, individuals are liberated from the chains of loneliness and the hardships of daily life, allowing them to engage with the external environment. A person may read newspapers in their free time merely for enjoyment, listen to the radio, and watch TV. According to Stötzel’s research, “The vast majority of people in French society have stated that reading magazines is one of their recreational activities. During the press strike in the southeast of France, 26% of readers reported feeling lonely and experiencing a monotonous, sad life in the absence of publications; this indicated that their lives were not spent as they once were.”
Shampani, another researcher, said regarding mass communication tools based on his own research: “Only 12% of those interviewed watch TV alone, while the remaining 87% watch it in the presence of their families. Television serves as a leisure entertainment device linked to many aspects of family life, especially during dinner, which is a significant moment in the daily life of every French person.”
Shampani concludes that, due to the influence of mass communication tools, the traditional way of life of the masses is changing within the confines of the family.
Some thinkers and intellectuals believe that the media introduces its audience to masterpieces of the past and present while also making entertaining programs more accessible. Undoubtedly, entertainment programs respond to a real need; however, many of these programs are so vulgar and clichéd that instead of stimulating creativity, they may dull the intellect of viewers.
Biryukov remarks in this context: “Entertainment, where mass media is seen as the most powerful and effective tool for coverage and communication, produces a vast amount of entertainment programs tailored to the audience. Mass media has been viewed as a means of family entertainment that fosters a kind of personality aligned with the ruling class—a person who is contented and satisfied with life, focused solely on consumption.”
Thus, one can conclude that mass communication devices can fill the entertainment void in many families. However, it should be noted that mass communication tools should not only be viewed from this perspective; doing so would obscure their true value and significance.
Although mass communication can sometimes lead to superficiality, passivity, and vulgarity, in many instances, it serves as a means of expanding one’s vision, intellect, and understanding of the universe, enabling direct access to work and people, and fostering human connections on a global scale. If mass communication is the only means of confronting and combating ignorance, illiteracy, and exploitation, it must also replace a real-world engagement with the dramatic world, providing methods that encourage active, creative participation in social life. Mass communication tools can expand the audience’s horizons through their educational roles, effectively shaping individuals throughout their lives. By opening a window from the living room to the outside world, they introduce the living environment as it unfolds, thereby enhancing the audience’s adaptability. Additionally, they can be relatively stimulating in treating mental illnesses.
Mass communication tools present facts in various formats, including real or imaginary images that speak directly to the audience’s subconscious and contribute to cultivating their imaginative thoughts.
Despite discussing the importance and role of media in filling leisure time and providing entertainment, it is crucial for Islamic countries to have programs aimed at countering the influence of anti-religious cultures. Otherwise, aimlessly spending free time in the world of virtual space may result in social disasters.
Today, many young people in the Islamic world have turned away from religion and embraced Western culture. What has caused this shift? Undoubtedly, the strongest reason is the propaganda produced by mass media and the inability of Muslims to confront it. The alluring mirage presented by the West to the thirsty today is so mesmerizing that it captures the attention of the entire world. Therefore, we must contemplate solutions and take action; otherwise, we risk facing destructive consequences and enduring the pain of their effects.
