Entertaiment is one of the main aspects of human culture. It can be as simple as a personal choice of private entertainment from the now enormous array of pre-recorded products; or as complex as a ceremony, banquet, religious festival, or satire for a large audience. Many entertainers have a serious purpose, such as educating or inspiring, although that is not always apparent to the viewer. The word entertainment is from the Medieval Latin intertenere, which itself derives from the Indo-European root ten, meaning to hold inside.

The SU2C model for accelerating cancer research is an example of how the entertainment industry can serve society.