The entertainment industry has learned to take advantage of the power of the Internet. They are using the Internet to do more than simply advertise their latest offering. In fact, every aspect of the entertainment industry is now entwined with the Internet.
Take for example something as seemingly innocuous as movie reviews. Traditionally, these were handled on a print basis and reviews were printed after the first showing of a movie. The Internet has changed this aspect of the entertainment industry by giving viewers access to reviews from anybody who wishes to publish one, at any time in the life cycle of a movie. These reviews may impact distribution of a film, its advertisement and other aspects of post production.
The entertainment industry has also focused largely on online gossip and celebrity photography to help generate a greater interest in the current stars of the moment. This has created celebrities from little known people, can give the executives greater insight into the direction fans wish their favorite stars to go and can even dictate movie and script selections.
The entertainment industry has learned that by using the Internet as a tool, they have greater access to information regarding their fan base, how successful their products are and how popular their stars are. They have integrated the Internet into their marketing plans and have changed direction because of the Internet.
It is interesting to note that much of the information on the Internet is actually driven by the entertainment industry itself, creating videos, stories and slide shows of a particular star or movie to help generate more interest in a project. Because of this, consumers are cautioned to be careful what they read. Like everything in Hollywood, much of the entertainment information we find on the Internet is glittery and golden. The only problem is that reality might not live up to the fantasy that the entertainment industry has created.