Before leaving for Prague, I did some initial research on entertainment journalism in the United States. Beyond interviewing primary sources and reading through plenty of secondary sources, I created a survey to send to a handful of friends and acquaintances. My goal with the survey was to get a basic understanding of what uses visitors to entertainment websites have – and to see if it goes deeper than escapism or pure enjoyment.
The Disko Duck record shop just beyond the Charles Bridge in Prague. This shop may end up being an important interview spot for more research. (Photo by Katy Coduto)
Sure enough, the question with the most interesting results involved entertainment and identity. The question simply says: “My personal identity is tied to the music I listen to/the movies I watch/my entertainment choices.” Respondents were given three options: Definitely, somewhat and not at all. Of the 20 respondents, 50 percent answered “Definitely” and another 45 percent said “Somewhat.” While 20 respondents is not a huge survey sample, it is composed of mostly 21- to 25-year-olds who are either finishing college or have graduated college. It is the ideal target audience for entertainment websites, and it is interesting to me that 95 percent of them feel some connection to some form of entertainment beyond basic uses like information or enjoyment.
This idea of self-identity being tied to entertainment is adding a significant component to my research in the Czech Republic, especially as I begin crafting questions for professionals and students here. I’m curious to see if Americans’ sense of identity through entertainment is stronger or weaker than that of Czechs, particularly because the Czech culture is more influenced by American culture than American culture is by Czech culture.
Perhaps the best example of this comes from looking at the Czech music charts. While the United States has a heavy emphasis on homegrown artists from our huge nation, the Czech charts have a strong mix of Czech artists with American and British artists. It is so interesting to see which artists translate to Czech culture and are popular here!
Knowing that there is this strong assimilation of different flavors in the Czech Republic, I am curious to see how Czechs connect entertainment to their own personal identities – if they do at all. I’m hoping to know soon, as the survey I conducted in the United States has been repurposed for Czech students. It’s out now, so the results should be in soon!
In the meantime, this song is climbing the Czech charts, and it is infectious. I can’t get over it!
This post was originally published on kentinprague.com. Be sure to visit kentinprague.com for all of my class’s updates on a wide range of research topics. Plus, you can follow us on Twitter by following #kentinprague.