Celebrities' Influence on Society: Downfall, Deviation, and Deceit
Mary Claire Houseman, TJ Rosepink, Emily Hellmann
Thursday, April 19, 2012
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.
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.