Opinion | We should all try new types of entertainment

Entertainment comes in many forms, languages and genres. We often stick to a certain genre or language of whatever we’re comfortable with, but this limitation blocks people from discovering many other wonderful forms of entertainment. 

I’m not saying you have to become a connoisseur of arts and entertainment, but do try to keep an open mind. Many people nowadays are very open about liking anime such as “Attack on Titan” and “Jujutsu Kaisen” and K-pop groups like BlackPink and BTS. These genres of entertainment have become extremely popular within the last few years. 

Last year, BlackPink made history at Coachella when they became the first ever Korean act to headline the music festival. And, according to Forbes, the anime “Attack On Titan” was the most popular anime TV show from 2022-2023. It was the most in-demand show on Netflix in February 2022, surpassing widely popular American shows such as “The Walking Dead” and “Stranger Things.” When “Squid Game,” a Korean-language show, came out on Netflix in 2021, it became Netflix’s number one show of all time, racking up 1.65 billion hours of streaming within the first four weeks. 

These record-breaking stats show that we clearly can and do enjoy other forms of entertainment. Whether it’s in a language we’re not used to or a genre we’d typically overlook, people gave it a chance, and many became obsessed. Regardless of whether it’s because we gave in to the hype or just happened to stumble upon it, the majority of us liked what we saw or heard even though none of it was in English. 

Opening yourself up to trying new forms of entertainment enriches life in many ways. For one, you could potentially make new friends out of it. When I wore my “eat your protein” “Attack On Titan” pump cover to the gym, I had a few people come up to me to strike up a conversation about the show. Even though we didn’t know each other, we knew that we had this one thing in common. Opening your mind up to trying out new things can lead to more opportunities for creating new bonds and making friends. Liking and/or disliking the same things is one of the easiest ways to form new relationships. 

There is also scientific research on the benefits of listening to various genres of music. One study found that different genres of music affect the brain in different ways. According to Patrick Wong, a researcher at Northwestern University, possessing the ability to listen to music from different cultures indicates that the brain is using the auditory and potentially the emotional areas of the brain more.

Each genre of music offers its own special benefits, so why not branch out a little? The worst thing that could happen is that you don’t like it, and in that case, at least you tried. But the best case scenario could be that you’ve just discovered a new genre of music or artist you really enjoy. 

In my case, I found that I don’t dislike musicals as much as I thought I did even though they were never really my thing. I was never involved in theaterF I did fall victim to fully believing the whole “theater kid” image comes along with liking musicals, so I never really gave it a shot. But one day, my boyfriend sat me down and put Hamilton on Disney+. He said, “Just give it a shot. If you don’t like it, we can watch something else.” Turns out, I really liked it. 

Lin-Manuel Miranda threw in some bops that fully changed my mind about musicals as a whole. And I hate to admit it, but I casually listened to the Hamilton soundtrack for the next two months after that. Since then, I started becoming a little more open to the genre that is musicals. Though it still isn’t my favorite genre of music, I wouldn’t mind seeing one in person. It clearly can’t be that bad if so many people — including celebrities — are willing to pay hundreds of dollars to see a show on Broadway. 

Branching out can be one of the best things you do for yourself. At any point, you can get a taste of a whole world of different genres and content simply by opening yourself up to experiencing media in other languages. Just think of what else is out there for you to discover. 

Kelly Xiong writes about all things fashion, beauty, personal health and sometimes pop culture. You can write to her at jux13@pitt.edu