From The Beatles to Kim Kardashian, celebrities have always had a strong influence on people's lives. The increasing use of social media over the last decade has allowed celebrities to share their private affairs with the world, allowing them to penetrate the minds and lives of viewers more than ever before.
As celebrities become more vulnerable and human, people look to them for their political standing. Although there are celebrities who openly express their political opinions, others have chosen to express their thoughts more privately.
This divide has led to controversy online. While some people argue that celebrities have a duty to speak out on current world issues because of their influential platforms, others believe that celebrities are not politicians and should not be treated as such.
There's a lot to be said on both sides of this argument, but first we need to examine the influence celebrities have on people.
Taylor Swift fans or “Swifties” are some of the most loyal and dedicated fans on the internet. Swift's ongoing Eras Tour has sold over 4.35 million tickets across 60 tour dates worldwide.
This is just one example of the fans' devotion. Swift has repeatedly demonstrated her influence on the population, and this even manifested itself in a political stance. Although she has never publicly endorsed a candidate, she published a post on her Instagram on National Voter Registration Day last year urging her American followers to register to vote.
The website Swift directed her fans to, the nonpartisan nonprofit Vote.org, received more than 35,000 registrations following her post. This led directly to young people registering to vote; the number of registered 18-year-olds has doubled from 2022.
On the other hand, popular celebrities and influencers have used their massive following and influence to spread negative political messages. Internet personality and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate has used his influence over young men's social media to spread hateful messages that support misogyny and sexism.
Tate was further accused of creating an organized criminal group and trafficking women in Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States in 2021. Prosecutors in Romania filed charges against Tate and his brother last June, and while he was incarcerated, he sought the support of two right-wing politicians from his prison cell in Romania to help fight rape and human trafficking allegations.
Although politicians did not agree to support Tate, his strong right-wing stance has led young, impressionable teenagers to follow him and support his views. There are positive and negative examples of celebrities using their platform to spread their political ideals, and people believe that it is a celebrity's duty to comment on current world events.
Recently, the recent war between Israel and Hamas has prompted many people to speak out on the current issue, and many have also turned to celebrities for public statements. Although some celebrities such as Pedro Pascal, Billie Eilish and Angelina Jolie have spoken out, other public figures have chosen to remain silent.
Actress and singer Selena Gomez decided to make a post on her Instagram in which she speaks directly about this conflict. Although she stated that violence of any kind was intolerable and must be stopped, she remained vague and did not support either side in the war.
The internet took this opportunity to condemn Gomez for her failure to directly support either side. Cases like this have cropped up in the last six months, where celebrities either didn't speak out or took a side that their audience didn't agree with.
Although there are arguments as to whether or not celebrities should disclose their political positions, it is important to keep a few things in mind. First, celebrities are not experienced politicians. While every individual should be aware of the current political climate and the important history surrounding it, pop singers working on albums probably aren't focused on it.
On the other hand, celebrities have a strong platform and therefore the ability to influence the audience. As we've already seen, celebrities can influence their followers to make positive changes, such as registering to vote, but others can use their power to spread hate and negativity.
There is no clear answer to this ongoing debate. In a perfect world, every public figure would have an ethical opinion and a political position, but that is simply not the case. It's important to consider the reasons why celebrities are vocal about their political beliefs rather than jumping to conclusions. Celebrities have great influence and power, and with them comes greater responsibility as public attention is constantly focused on them.
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