Band 7+: Young people today know more about international pop and film stars than they do about famous people in their own country’s history. Why is this? What can be done to increase young people’s interest in famous people from their country’s history?

In recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of individuals knowing more about stars in the entertainment industry instead of famous people in history. One of the main reasons for this worrying trend is due to the fact that social media has made entertainment news more accessible. However, there are solutions readily available to tackle this issue, such as for schools to teach students history more interactively.

To begin, there is an argument to be made that the advent of social media has resulted in more people caring about stars instead of celebrities in history. For example, in China, two-thirds of the news reported in newspapers and broadcasts are entertainment news. For this reason, it is evident that the accessibility to information about singers, actors, and dancers makes the public know more about those celebrities, which causes more people to talk about these topics in daily conversations compared to heroes from history. What is more, the young tend to recognize stars as their role models instead of historical figures, as they are more likely to be attracted by their handsome appearances while considering history as a boring thing. This being the case, it can be assumed that if social media continues to focus on pop or movie stars, there will be more people caring about stars.

In order to tackle this troubling issue, one viable solution would be for schools to teach students history. For instance, in Xian, the vast majority of schools try to help children learn more about heroes and heroines who made great achievements in previous wars. Therefore, it is clear that a compulsory subject about history plays an important role in publicising historical celebrities, as this would force students to learn more at school. Furthermore, the government should fund movies and documentaries about history, as those can act as an entertaining and educational way of helping the public to know more about these figures. With this in mind, there is no doubt that if students are taught history at school, they will desire to know it more.

To conclude, the overwhelming evidence seems to suggest that a growing number of people pay more attention to stars due to social media. However, it is still possible to turn the tide if schools use their power to make history a compulsory subject.