The young generation today have more knowledge about international musicians or movie stars than about famous people of their own country’s history. This essay will explain the reasons and list some solutions to deal with this phenomenon.
The trend among young people results from several factors. The first factor is due to the availability of international media in the entertainment industry that now overshadows the representation of historical figures online. Therefore, the young individuals might not have as much exposure to famous people of the local history as celebrities via the Internet. Teenagers, for example, know more about celebrities worldwide than the heroes of their countries because of the popularity of entertainment related news online, leaving no space for historical news to become known. Another cause of this phenomenon is the wrong assumptions of young people about obtaining information related to historical figures. Information about these people can be misconceived as unappealing and only applicable for tests at school. Thus, some young people might overlook the core values of learning about famous figures of local history, thereby having no knowledge about their countries’ important people.
However, there are many methods to increase interest in history among young people. First of all, better promotion of history needs to be implemented on multimedia platforms, especially by utilizing celebrities’ impact. Music videos or movie productions related to history can be more approachable and loved by featuring famous artists to attract the public. Moreover, the education authorities should pay attention to improving the teaching methods of history at schools to make it more enjoyable and understandable for students by allowing them to recreate historical events or arranging annual field trips to historical sites. By doing this, the young generation can develop an awareness of how history can influence cultural identity during school years, therefore can be willing to learn more about historical figures or events.
In conclusion, the trend among the young generation nowadays is caused by misconceptions of history learning and the dominance of celebrities’ news over historical ones. However, this phenomenon can be improved by making history-themed songs or films that star popular artists to increase the impact on young people and changing how history is taught at school.