What am I doing?

Good question, me. I'm researching the development and purposes of theater, film and television throughout history, starting with a few guiding questions:

1. When did theater become a popular medium? Where and when did it begin? (Similar questions about film and tv, even though those are more obvious)

2. What purposes did theater, film and television serve throughout history (entertainment/escapism/propaganda/art)?

3. How do famous/significant/controversial pieces of theater, film and television reflect their time periods, and are there cases where they ended up leading to social changes (it's like History Through Film all over again)?

4. How has the popularity of theater, film and television affected society throughout history (not just contemporary society)?

5. How have different societies developed different "versions" of theater, film and television as a reflection of their culture?

And other things too, probably.

Yeah.