Every week, hell every day, there is a random new discussion or conversation, that ultimately leads to a long discourse, concerning a film or television show or song or book or some occurrence in the media landscape. Thanks to the accessibility and transparency (to an extent) that social media has provided, we now know more about the entertainment industry than ever before. This obviously comes with a plethora of positives and negatives attached. And one of those negatives is the near endless discourse that accompanies media, and in particular media criticism. At times, most fans, both those involved and not in the industry, begin to question what is the point of pursuing an interest, either professionally or hobbyist, in entertainment media.

Last month, I showed my father and brother The Muppets’ Christmas Carol for the first time. Somehow, neither one of them had ever seen the film up to that point. In all our conversations, and there have been many, about beloved Christmas films and even the best adaptation of the famous Dicken’s story, I had missed that they had simply never seen the Muppet version. Of course, I had to remedy that error, and we immediately watched the extended film on Disney Plus before the holiday season ended.

They, unsurprisingly, enjoyed it. It’s a great film. However, the real point is that I was able to share a film that I loved with my family and have that experience of them seeing it for the first time. It was a reminder as to why I love media in all its forms. It is the act of sharing favorite film and television and books and songs and seeing people engage with and enjoy these pieces of media. Then they share the ones they love and hate and you have conversations about them. The joy is in sharing ideas and talks about these pieces of media. The joy is in community that comes from the mutual exchange of experiencing these pieces of media for the first, second, third, or fiftieth time. It is also why regardless of the disagreements and discourse that arises, there is joy and love for film, television, music, and all forms of media.