The Impact of Celebrity Culture on Society

Written by Kayla Isabella

    It is known by many in society that celebrities have become a bigger part of everyday life. Some of us follow them for the drama and others for what they have contributed in things like movies and tv shows. But, do they have any impact at all in society? Surprisingly, yes they do. Celebrities are influencers at heart. They sponsor large brands, some run shows, some have their own entire business and company under their own name. You can even see them on billboards and ads. And of course, they themselves are the largest brand they could ever display in the media. Their face, looks, style and what they say and do influence many of us whether you realize it or not. A written article discussing this matter states that the presence of these celebrities are detrimental to contributing to change within shaping consumer behavior and trends. They have played a large role in influencing public decisions which is why many companies hire them to promote products and services. And what better way to do so when you can hire a person who has so much control and figure in the public eye, especially in social media. 

    If not done correctly this can become a very dangerous problem to people who are quite active on social media. The image of a famous person online who has the ability to influence many, especially young people, can turn into an issue of self image. The perfect photo they post might lead to many decreasing in self esteem and especially self confidence in how they look, act, and dress and may wish to change completely into looking like them. And it's not just looks, an article regarding behavioral health says that bad behavior influenced by a role model on social media can lead to normalizing smoking, illegal drug use, and others such as promoting violence, criminal behavior such as petty theft or vandalism, fighting, drunk driving, and even free sex. Bad romantic advice that is taken seriously can also lead to sexism, domestic abuse, over obsessing, or just horrible relationships in general. And while most are out of these people's control, it is important for them and the viewer to be reminded that their actions are to be held accountable and can quite literally put them in prison and under criminal record or even get someone hurt or worse. We as people should be careful of what we are watching and whether or not we are letting bad influences affect our day to day life. 

    Can celebrity culture be good for people too? Yes, it definitely can. Another article written for this exact matter states that some popular people can be helpful with increasing self esteem and confidence. For example, a popular person might influence or give helpful advice for someone regarding how they look or dress which can give that person confidence and assertiveness within themselves and people around them. They can also bring out extroverted personality traits and can be inspired by admiring famous public figures. They can also allow people to foster creativity and have strong desires to follow good things the celebrity has done. And most of the time, people will see them as a role model or just generally enjoy what they create and bring to society. But it is still important to note that an overly high obsession with these people, whether they are good or bad, is still not healthy either. So it is important to keep ourselves in check and make sure we also interact with people close to us.

    To tie it all up together, celebrity culture definitely has a large impact on society and plays a huge role in decisions people make on a day to day basis. They can be a source of controversy and bad decisions but they can also be helpful and bring people up. It all depends on what the celebrity does and how we perceive it. They are people and cannot be seen as gods who can dictate everything we do. They are role models, meaning they can be followed or not and that is a choice we should make whether they are a good or bad influence. So it is important to not always follow the crowd but make the right choices.