Celebrities have been trying to hide their personal lives forever, but yet have the power to influence and make us somehow invested in their lives/trends. In our day in age, it’s very hard not to be involved in it as users and followers. Back when the hype started, all they had to worry about was paparazzi and bombarding reporters. But with the evolution of digital media, we began to have a better insight into their personal lives and how they can conquer the digital world with just one post, tweet, or picture. We see the best of their lives and the worse… and some of us try to live like them SO HARD! So why do we care about them so much? Why do we worship them? Why is it so easy for us to be involved in their lives?
Fame is a powerful cultural magnet. As a society that relies on the media quite a lot, we acquire the bulk of our knowledge, ideas and skills by copying it from others, rather than being our own individuals. However, we pay far more attention to the habits and behaviors that influencers and celebrities present. We often look up to them because they seem like the most perfect individuals of who we should strive to become. They promote their image as successful, living the ideal lifestyle, and having a healthy state of mind. It is easy to forget that what they decide to post about and share with their fans is not a realistic portrayal of the influencers’ lives.
I am pretty sure that somehow each of us can find ourselves comparing our lives to celebrities and influencers. Personally, I don’t follow anyone famous on my social media but due to the media’s algorithm somehow their accounts will come up on my explorer page and I find myself feeling that my life is not amazing as theirs, but yet I have so much to be thankful for. Idolizing celebrities has been going on for a while now, and I feel as time goes on it takes over our lives more and more. Every media outlet you log on to, you are greeted by the top influencers and celebrities. The influence that celebrities have on all kinds of generations and their development is surprising.
Influencers also have enough power over their followers to promote products or places, and companies have caught on. They get paid enough money to support particular brands, like how the Kardashians routinely post about Sugar Bear Hair on their Instagrams, claiming these products “changed their life” and that they “can’t live without it.” This gives an advantage to Sugar Bear Hair because they know the demographic that follows the Kardashians is the same demographic that they would want to buy their product. As predicted, we often buy into the product because a celebrity we ‘worship’ tells us to. We don’t tend to see how we are influenced for the sake of money. This is the primary motive driving both the person promoting the product and the company selling the product. We are brainwashed into wasting our money, yet we continue to take the word of celebs and invest in everything marketed by them on digital media. The media blindsides us and has this power to make us believe that we can relate to specific celebrities based on what we watch, read, and hear about. The trust we put in these people significantly impacts how we see ourselves because of the unrealistic comparison between how we look and act compared to famous people who can choose how their image is depicted, even if that image is not a valid portrayal of who they are.
Obviously, there are lots of positives to digital media; the digital world would be boring if it wasn’t around! A lot of celebrities use digital media to interact with fans, sell and advertise products, or let out ‘exclusive content.’ It can sometimes also be a good way to stay informed on what’s going on in their lives, but when is enough, enough? Influencers strive to make the most of their time in the spotlight, securing brand deals, living in the most picture perfect home, and feeding their millions of fans with daily videos and selfies. It shows that what society and audiences value is changing and shifting every day. It means celebrities and influencers alike have to be quick to catch on to trends and deliver on them.
Everyone who uses digital media platforms should be made aware of the truth about influencers and celebrities and the power they have over their followers. As social media grows, so does the influence it has on us, but we can’t forget that there is a fine line between people we know personally and the people we ‘worship’ and follow. When will the time come that we will be our own leaders and believers and not followers?