Celebrity Activists in Contemporary Society
Works Cited Not Included
According to the book Celebrity Politics, approximately 10 percent of Americans get national political news from nightly entertainment shows such as the Tonight Show. For Americans under 30, the number is nearly five times as many (Orman and West 100). Citizens are looking to be entertained rather than simply educated by the nightly news. As David Schultz aptly put it, “ The new media cover politics, but only politics as it entertains, in part, because the audience the new media attract is a less politically interested audience than traditional news audiences” (20). The fact is that this American audience is less interested in hard news and more interested in entertainment, which has made celebrities effective activists and endorsers of aid organizations in this increasingly celebrity-obsessed society.
Americans “expect, for example, that political campaigns for President will be replete with show biz” (Combs 124). It is no longer good enough for politicians to be defined by their stances on issues, and by the support of different political organizations. Politicians have to be able to provide the citizens with a show, something that will keep them curious and entertained; they need, in fact, celebrity power. Because of this, in order to raise awareness and support for their causes, advocacy organizations have also tapped into the celebrity craze.
One area in which celebrities have become extremely involved is that of political campaigns. Politicians want celebrity endorsements in order to become more visible and more popular with different age groups. One survey shows that forty percent of 18 to 24 year olds were influenced by celebrities’...
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... Despite the popularity of celebrity politics, the political process is not exclusively relegated to celebrities, and no one is forced to agree with an endorser’s opinion.
Perhaps this, then, is the real issue. Clearly, from the standpoint of the advocacy organizations themselves, celebrities are beneficial as activists in today’s culture. They are the perfect spokespeople to maneuver through such an entertainment-driven society and political arena. They raise money and awareness that many aid organizations would not otherwise receive. This research has shown that celebrities have an effect on voter turnout, and also on the way citizens vote. The problem is no longer determining whether celebrities are effective activists. Research now must be done to determine the repercussions of such a celebrity-driven culture on politics, humanitarian aid, and the world.
Celebrity endorsements can make or break a product and even a company. Especially in today’s world many teens will buy a product just predominantly based on who endorses it. For example, Beyoncé promotes both Pepsi and H&M. She is a great representative for both because she is a really big celebrity and she is very well known. She also has a lot of influence. Young girls would love to dress like her and with H&M endorsing her they get that demographic. Pepsi made a good choice because she, like the previous celebrities they endorsement deals with, is a very public figure with a very big name. Many teens and young ...
Celebrities hold a strong power to influence the lifestyle trends of an audience. As members of the entertainment industry, celebrities are looked up to as role models by a large general public. With having such high exposure, celebrities essentially hold the power to positively or negatively influence their followers from fashion trends to behavioral tendencies, the attitudes and lifestyle habits of celebrities influence cultural qualities and the way in which many people function within society. Mindy Kaling’s career started when she became an intern in the popular show “Late Night with Conan O’ Brien”. Mindy was a 19-year-old sophomore at Dartmouth College when she first started with her internship. One way Mindy Kaling’s started to become an importance in the Comedy Business is through her work in the show “The Office” Mindy
Marshall P. David (1997). Celebrity Power; Fame in Contemporary Culture. May 16, 2010. Electronically retrieved from
In a world where billionaires and celebrities can have more influence over the public than government, the word power has become interchangeable with success. Although many of us have fantasized of our lives if we were famous, the majority of the population have given up on the notion of becoming famous, and have become more realistic towards future dreams and desires. However, what qualities drive people of fame to do things that keep their name out in the eye of the public? People desire power. Genuine power is the ability to influence.
...e an effect on our politics, its very important for a candidate running for president to have a popular celebrity endorse them as president, just like Oprah did for Obama in the 2008 election. Giving celebrities huge amounts of power over everything in our society. But what does Justin Biber know about the economy, or what does Oprah know about running a country? Thats the thing, they don’t know, and because people blindly vote on a presdient only because most the celebrities like him, is causing our political figures to care less about the everyday citizen, and work harder to please the celebrity that helped him get elected.
Lofton, Kathryn, and Brenda R. Weber. "The Legacies of Oprah Winfrey: Celebrity, Activism and Reform in the Twenty-first Century." Celebrity Studies 3.1 (2012): 104-105. Print.
Television has affected every aspect of life in society, radically changing the way individuals live and interact with the world. However, change is not always for the better, especially the influence of television on political campaigns towards presidency. Since the 1960s, presidential elections in the United States were greatly impacted by television, yet the impact has not been positive. Television allowed the public to have more access to information and gained reassurance to which candidate they chose to vote for. However, the media failed to recognize the importance of elections. Candidates became image based rather than issue based using a “celebrity system” to concern the public with subjects regarding debates (Hart and Trice). Due to “hyperfamiliarity” television turned numerous people away from being interested in debates between candidates (Hart and Trice). Although television had the ability to reach a greater number of people than it did before the Nixon/Kennedy debate, it shortened the attention span of the public, which made the overall process of elections unfair, due to the emphasis on image rather than issue.
There are many celebrities who support and promote causes and charities to create awareness about peace, humanitarian causes, poverty, and illness in the world. Does celebrity activism really have the intention to help others or do celebrities get involved in it because they want to enhance their reputation? Although some celebrity activists do not have a good reputation because of their bad behavior, they contribute to society by giving donations or by supporting good causes. Celebrity activism matters because celebrities are powerful tools who raise awareness of good causes. Celebrities have the power to attract people’s attention, for instance, their fans, to influence them to support the important causes.
Over the last few decades celebrity and fame has changed dramatically, from Alexander the Great to Kim Kardashian. Talent and achievements no longer play a huge role when it comes to our celebrities. “Much modern celebrity seems the result of careful promotion or great good looks or something besides talent and achievement” (Epstein2) with that being said celebrity-creation has blossomed into an industry of its own. Keeping up with all the gossips from breaking up to hooking up, law suits and drama many might come to an agreement that celebrity culture is starting to be the great new art form in our new generation and that it ...
Mukherjee, J. (2004). Celebrity, media and politics: An indian perspective. Parliamentary Affairs, 57(1), 80-92. Retrieved from http://pa.oxfordjournals.org.ezproxy.bond.edu.au/content/57/1/80.full.pdf html
We are part of a generation that is obsessed with celebrity culture. Celebrities are distinctive. Media and consumers alike invented them to be a different race of super beings: flawless, divine and above all the real moral world. In a 1995 New York Times article “In contrast, 9 out of 10 of those polled could think of something
Today we live in a celebrity culture that is being dominated and exploited by the media. In a bid to satisfy the public’s interest in celebrities it is ever-present that the news and entertainment media are going well beyond the point of providing consumers with basic information. “In this cult of celebrity, images of stars, people ‘famous for being famous’, are circulated and consumed daily across the world” (Penfold, 2004: 289).
According to Steven Knowlton, author of Moral Reasoning for Journalists, "Celebrities of all sorts-musicians, athletes, entertainers, and others-make their living from the public and the public therefore in a sense employs them, just as it employs governors and presidents..."(54). Most journalists figure that celebrities voluntarily surrender their pr...
...l” relationship with their fans. Celebrities who are involved in an election use their loyal fans to propel them into victory by staying in character throughout the campaign. Many times voters are voting for a movie character in the case of a celebrity running for office rather than the actual person. The fans have gotten to know the character and this is who they adore. Not only do many celebrities want to be politicians but many politicians want to be celebrities. While in office, many politicians work hard to gain a fan base that many celebrities bring with them into office.
Celebrity culture is in our day to day lives. There is a huge impact of celebrity culture on society. Some people look up to celebrities as if they are some sort of god. Every action of the famous is known thanks to the media. Celebrities influence our lifestyle, fashion sense, behaviors, and even politics. They have the power to influence millions of people and should use their influence to benefit society by being aware of what they say and do. Because celebrities easily affect their fans, proper actions and statements are necessary in order to promote righteous values. The general public must remember to emulate the actions of the famous rather than the infamous.