It is a common understanding that celebrities are everywhere today—we see them on the covers of magazines while checking out at the grocery store, on billboards adverting some product that everyone must buy, starring on television shows, and appearing in the commercials that break up those shows—but what is more difficult to gauge is the extent to which this presence impacts how we average people live our lives. Some sociologists believe that society’s obsession with celebrity culture is detrimental to the success of democracy, arguing that celebrity news always trumps political or other “hard news” stories, which prevents the development of an informed citizenry who can vote for leaders who can make the right decisions, and “demagoguery, which depends on mass ignorance” (Altman) will rise to power. On the other hand, many others support the idea that the media’s emphasis on celebrity life can bring to light many worthy causes. One major example used to support this argument is the O.J. Simpson murder trial, which, despite the fact that he was deemed innocent, contributed to a more widespread awareness of the racial discrepancies within our national society (Altman).

The third-person effect hypothesis is crucial to understanding how people interpret the presence of celebrity persuasion in their daily lives. According to this idea, people often think of themselves as an exception to the influences of persuasion, believing that what they see on TV will have a great impact on everyone but themselves. One significant but infrequently studied example of the third-person effect in action is the impact of celebrity support in political campaigns. According to one study, a mere 15% of a surveyed group of voting-eligible citizens said that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack Obama had a positive impact on their voting for him, while 60% of the same people said that same endorsement would have a positive effect on Obama’s overall success (Brubaker 19).

Another example involving celebrities and government is the political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to one sociologist, the former actor’s election as California’s governor was treated somewhat comically in other democratic, first world nations, but to the people of developing countries, it carried a message of hope. In the third world, the Terminator’s success showed that power under democracy does not have to belong to a select group of individuals, and that anyone can succeed in a nation that works according to the will of the people.

Celebrity endorsement has shown positive effects for many other worty causes. According to the website for The Candie’s Foundation, which exists to make teenage girls consider the very real possibility of pregnancy and the burdens that come with it before having sex, public service announcements that featured a celebrity were much better received by teen girls than those with non-celebrities. PSAs starring Bristol Palin, who became pregnant as a teenager, caught the attention of 57% of young girls, while two PSAs with different non-celebrities only garnered the attention of 27% and 28% of teens. Still, 57-63% answered the question of the applicability of all four PSAs (one by Palin, one by Jenny McCarthy, and the other two by non-celebrities) to their personal lives with “not at all” (Candie’s).

Today’s media is filled with advertisements and messages throughout society. Recently, the most successful advertisements have used celebrities. We most often appeal more to these advertisements with celebrities because of their physical attractiveness and our idolization of the Hollywood stars. Along with influencing the government, celebrities play a big role in the donations and charity that we provide for others. A basic assumption that society holds regarding celebrities is that they are Hollywood socialites that like to party. If we hold this assumption, then why do their ads for donating and rescuing animals often persuade us to do so and believe that they are concerned about the matter? 

We often laugh at the cheesiness of the SPCA ads with Sarah McLaughlin, but in reality people are usually affected by these ads. Why is it that the media uses the celebrities to convince us to fall for what they are selling? One reason could be the reflection theory. We are known to mirror celebrities because we tend to idolize their fame and high society lives. Lee Flamand states that the reflection theory, “will usually attempt to demonstrate this relationship through a causal relationship whereby a privileged term representing a part of society either gives rise to, imprints itself upon, influences or determines a second term”. Our idolatry of celebrities makes us want to fall for what they are advertising, when in reality they could probably care less about the matter. The media uses celebrities to provide a higher degree of appeal to us. Our society is all about conformity and consumerism, so we are more likely to want what celebrities want, and to buy what the celebrities buy. Conley describes consumerism as “more than just buying merchandise; it refers to the belief that happiness and fulfillment can be achieved through the acquisition of material possessions”. We see celebrities laughing and enjoying what they are advertising, so we immediately assume that if we have it, it will bring us gratification as well. 

The bottom line is, if the celebrity in the advertisement appeals to us, we will fall for it and give in. For example, in Jennifer Aniston’s “Hope-for-Haiti” ad, she exhibits a sexual appeal, which has nothing to do with what she is advertising. Our society is so caught up in physical appearances that we immediately give in because it is Jennifer Aniston. While the celebrities may seem like praiseworthy and commendable people in the ads because they give money to charities, we have no idea the trouble that some of them are getting into in their own lives. Even though we hold the assumption that they are partiers, why do we still manage to be swayed by them in their advertisements? 

Celebrities play a big role in the actions of our society. They may not all realize that when they deviate from social norms, they are also giving a nod to the American people that it can become an accepted thing. Many people in society look up to celebrities because of their personalities. Maybe they feel some sort of a connection to them or they like the way they look, but I personally believe that people look up to celebrities because of their ability to find a niche in our society. They get paid ridiculous amounts of money for doing seemingly simple things, whether it’s songwriting, singing, acting, etc. The people in our society that strive to have a role as impactful as a celebrity may feel as though they need to compensate for their performance. This may cause them to follow in the footsteps of a celebrity and donate to a cause. They may choose to do this even if they don’t have enough extra money and even knowing they may have contributed much less than that societal figure, but they can still feel as though they are as good of a person as a generous celebrity.

However, the actions of deviance go both ways for the celebrities in our society, especially with things like the Internet and the media. Every single thing a celebrity says and does can usually get around the world in a day or two. These stories tend to spread even faster if it puts the celebrity in a bad light. For example, we hear stories of celebrity sex-tapes, celebrities getting intoxicated and using drugs in public, and we even hear details of their personal lives. The main group of people that these stories affect would likely be the youth of our society. They still don’t know exactly what they want to be when they grow up, so they can align themselves with becoming famous one day or becoming known. Their lives revolve around acting “cool” and whom else do they look to other than the beacons of society for them, which are celebrities. They may imitate the actions, behaviors, and styles of celebrities in hopes of one day becoming one. So when they look online and see stories about drinking alcohol because someone they look up to is doing it, that information may affect when they decide to start underage drinking. The same goes for cigarettes, marijuana, and other drugs when they see actors performing roles in movies that partake in drugs or when they read stories about musical artists getting caught smoking marijuana. One can’t go as far as saying the celebrity made the kids and teenagers start smoking and drinking and having sex, but these ideas may have originated because we view celebrities daily lives beyond their initial roles in society. Even many popular musical artists write songs about drugs and alcohol as the main theme of the song, and when kids are learning their favorite artist’s songs and lyrics they can come to associate the regular celebrity lifestyle with all these acts of deviance. The overall portrayal of celebrities and celebrity’s lifestyles in society alters the youths’ desire to have the same lifestyle. The celebrities themselves may or may not be aware of the influence they exert, but when modes of information travel, every little thing that celebrities do is observed with a close eye.

In all, celebrities have an unavoidable influence over society, and they impact how we live our lives day to day. While they may pretend to be flawless and charitable, it is most often an act to convince us to follow what they are doing. The concerning matter of celebrities absorbing our attention could explain why our democracy is degrading and why society is deceived by their lies and committing more acts of deviance.