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DO THESE CELEBRITIES ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?



By Maggie Wagenbrenner
Over the past few years, we have seen some big changes in the political world of the United States.  With the advancement of technology and the rising popularity of social media, many people are able to voice their opinions for the world to see and reflect on, some of those people are celebrities. We are constantly hearing and seeing celebrities endorsing politicians of their liking, but the question must be asked: do these celebrities actually make a difference? I argue that the rise of social media has led to celebrities having a far reaching effect on voters  due to the social identification theory and the parasocial relationship construct.


Social identification theory is defined as “people adopt[ing] attitude or behavior from another person because they associate it with a satisfying, self-defining relationship with that person” (Um, 2018). A similar concept is touched on in Dustin Kidd’s book, Social Media Freaks: Digital Identity in the Network Society. Chris Crocker, a nineteen-year-old gay man from a rural town in Tennessee, went viral after posting a video of himself in tears defending Britney Spears. At the time, Spears was being ridiculed in the news (Kidd, 2017, 69), but why was a random man from Tennessee coming to her defense so intensely? Crocker took personal offense to the hate Spears was receiving because he recognizes Spears as apart of his identity. According to Horton and Wohl’s parasocial relationship construct, “A parasocial relationship occurs when individuals develop a sense of intimacy and identification with a celebrity via the media” (Um, 2018).


So, what about celebrities and politics? Taylor Swift, famous songwriter and singer, recently posted an Instagram photo with a long caption advocating for people to get out and vote, since the voter turnout during the 2016 election was at a 20 year all time low (Wallace, 2016). The social identification theory, as well as the parasocial relationship concept, helps shed light on how Taylor Swift’s Instagram posts made such an impact on the 2018 voter turnout.  65,000 people registered to vote after only 24 hours after the post hit Instagram's feed (France 2018). Taylor’s post caused such a large amount of people to register to vote because social media tends to make people feel that they have a special type of relationship with celebrities. Taylor is not the only celebrity to advocate for voting, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, Will Ferrell and many more have actively called on there fans and others to get out and vote for the 2018 midterms.  With this recent increase in celebrity involvement in politics, the voter turnout reached its highest since 1914, with 116 million votes (Kigore, 2018).



So why did Taylor Swift and other celebrities have such a high impact on our midterms? Well, it's because of these theories that make Swift’s fans feel obligated and eager to vote after her post. Due to the identity fans find in Taylor Swift, they are likely to adopt behaviors and attitudes in order to be able to relate to Swift. Additionally, media helps individuals further identify with celebrities. So, when Taylor Swift posted on Instagram urging her fans to register to vote, they were eager to comply in order to increase their identification with Swift.


We as a society have seen many changes in the past few years. The rise of media and technology has affected more than we will understand-- but we do know the power it has given celebrities due to the social identification theory and the parasocial relationship construct. We’ve seen the effect with Chris Crocker and Britney Spears, as well as the power of a single Instagram post by Taylor Swift. While some may not believe this to be true, celebrities do in fact actually make a difference in the world of politics due to the rise of social media.


References
Um, N. (2018). Effectiveness of celebrity endorsement of political candidates. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 46(10), 1585-1596. doi:10.2224/sbp.6757
Wallace, G. (2016). CNN. Voter Turnout a 20 Year Low in 2016. Retrieved from
France, R. L. (2018). CNN. Voter Registration Reportedly Spikes After Taylor Swift Post. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/09/entertainment/taylor-swift-voter-registration/index.html
Kidd, Dustin. (2017). Social Media Freaks: Digital Identity in the Network Society. Boulder, CO :Westview Press
Kilgore, E. (2018). Intelligencer.2018 Turnout Was the Highest of Any Midterm in More Than a Century. Retrieved from http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/11/2018-turnout-was-the-highest-of-any-midterm-since-1914.html
Word count: 634
Keywords: Celebrity endorsement, voters, parasocial relationship, social identity theory, midterms, Taylor Swift

Comments

  1. KHNovember 15, 2018 at 12:26 PM

    This is good Maggie!

    The post fits nicely with the rest of your group's efforts to examine the intersection of politics and celebrity. Your decision to discuss Taylor Swift's endorsements during the 2018 midterms makes for an especially timely and relevant contribution.

    More important, you've located and made very effective use of an academic source to interrogate this episode and make a compelling argument about our individual and collective relationship with celebrities.

    Equally important, you've consulted recent news stories that help support your analysis. Not for nothing, but this has the makings of a fine bit of original research in subsequent course work. Just sayin'...

    One minor issue: your conclusion is a bit tepid. No need to revisit Chris Crocker here. Instead, make a forceful point regarding Swift's "intervention" into party politics. Perhaps with some discussion of the relationship between social and legacy media throughout this episode.

    27 pts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KHNovember 15, 2018 at 12:27 PM

    PS don't forget to use labels for your post.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 19, 2018 at 8:11 AM

    Maggie-- good job on the post!

    We constantly see celebrity endorsements in regards to politics, and I have always wondered just how much these celebrities impact the political arena and your example and connection to Taylor Swift's recent instagram post tells me that celebrities have a bigger impact than I imagined, and it also brings up questions. was Taylor's post so influential given the political tension that is felt in America today? Would she have had a great of impact if the case of Kavenaugh had not happened?

    This is something that I hope research will be done on in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousDecember 9, 2018 at 10:18 PM

    Maggie,

    I really enjoyed reading this post, as I found your piece interesting and "real". As Katharine notes, today is a time in which many celebrities choose to promote their political opinions on social media (twitter/instagram). Just how big is their platform? Obviously, it can be huge as you have made clear.

    I would agree with Dr. Howley on his point that, if researched further, this could be a very good orginal topic to delve into.

    Nice work!

    ReplyDelete

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