The Impact of Celebrity Culture on the Youth

THE IMPACT OF CELEBRITY CULTURE ON THE YOUTH 9

TheImpact of Celebrity Culture on the Youth

TheImpact of Celebrity Culture on the Youth

Celebritiesare individuals who are well-known in the society with either rightor damaging reputation. This status isusually attainedfollowing the involvement in numerous disciplines such as politics,entertainment, and sports among others. Other members of the society,particularly the youth, have greater interests in the behavior andlives of celebrities. Adolescents and young adults form the biggestgroup of mass media users spending more than two hours daily on theseplatforms. As a result, there is the prospect of the youth beingexposed to various influential personalities, hence, impacting on thebeliefs and attitudes of the target generation. In the process ofdeveloping personal connections with celebrities, there areimplications for the regular human interactions due to theinvolvement of the emotional and cognitive processes. Scholars havenoted that approximately ten percent of grownups may experiencecelebrity worship which may have emanated from the adolescent stage(Miller, 2015).

Despitethe lack of direct communications, the youth feel they aredirectly connectedto celebrities through constant media exposure, hence the perceptionthat they have a better understanding of the personality concerningtheir conduct, conversations, gestures, and appearance. This researchproposal aims to determine the effects that celebrities have on theyoung generation.

Background

Theyouth are one of the active media users hence they are at increasedrisk of being affected by the mass media as compared to other targetgroups. Most of them use mass media to seek information while alsoseeking role models. Novelty is one concept that has been appreciatedby the young generation, and as a result of using mass media, theyouths have beenexposedto “global culture” commonly referred to as globalization.Unlimited learning has been possible due to advancements intechnology. Lifestyles and fashion keep on changing due to foreigninfluences. Both domestic and overseas celebrities impact on thedifferent aspects of the young generation which has resulted in theintegration of values, both local and international. This generationends up absorbing and adopting ideologies that are contrary to thoseimparted to them by their parents.

Materialismis an aspect that has risen rapidly as a result of the influence ofcelebrities. There are different income classes among the youthdepending on the financial capabilities of their parents. Thismotivates them to pursue current fashion trends, hence, spending moremoney on purchasing the latest trendy devices and clothes. Thematerial desires are elevated as a result of media exposure to imagesof celebrities displaying flashy possessions. The behaviors andattitudes of the youths have been significantly impacted by thesedepictions (Shah, 2016).

Mostyoung people are attracted to the entertainment career such as actingand modeling following the influence from celebrities. Thisattraction emanates from the desire to acquire more wealth andrecognition. The lavish lifestyle of most celebrities has made mostyoung people to perceive them as successful. Most celebrities haveintertwined careers as they are actively engaged in differentprofessions at the same time, for instance, modelling, acting, andsinging. Young people have ideal personalities in mind that they usein constructing their identities so as to appear similar to theirstars (Beutler, 2012). They formulate various imitative behaviorssuch as body adornments, peculiar hairstyles, provocative dressingcodes, unsafe sexual habits, violence, and finally drug abuse. Theyouth are usually keen on their representation, particularly,particularly how they communicate, and that’s where the concept offashion comes into play. Clothes are not only to be worn but alsofunction as signs. In addition to being personal expressions, clothesexpress different messages and meanings. The sense of identity amongthe youth isderivedfrom music and fashion. These fashion styles are usually picked upfrom celebrities. Instability and identity formation are some of theissues that youths are grappling to overcome. According to scholars,young people are very optimistic and have the perception that theycan do much better that their guardians regarding financial security.

Scope,Prevalence, Significance of Problem

Thepresent youths are technologically savvy and have access to movies,internet blogs and magazines all of which areplasteredwith celebrity images. The availability of celebrity gossip has leftus with pertinent issues, both short-term, and longterm,on the lives of the young generation. Most parents are concerned withthe overall content depicted by celebrities over the internet,movies, and televisions.

Oneof the long-term effects touches on attitude and appearance. Mostyouths engage in provocative habits, for instance, flirting, singingand listening to suggestive lyrics in addition to the use ofoffensive language. The normal levels of beauty have been stretchedbeyond capacity as young adults are not confident with their bodyappearance hence they resort to dangerous health beauty products thatmight ultimately affect them in the years to come. Most youths havestrived to lose their weight for the primary purpose of having slimbodies which have always beencherishedin the modeling profession. Most have failed to observe their diet asthey seek to achieve this goal (Doyle, 2016).

Inaddition to adversely affecting the personalities of youngsters,celebrities also contribute to the deteriorating health effects amongyoung people. The youths are exposed to pictures of celebritiessmoking or drinking alcohol hence, they perceive this habit as beingbeneficial. Smoking has been highly glamorized in the media, thuscreating the perception that smoking is acceptable. The moral traitsof the youths are also affected due to exposure to sexual content inthe media with celebrities being the main players in fueling thispractice.

Thelives of the young are also affected positivelyespecially when celebrities engage in the promotion of cultural andeducation awareness. Celebrities who showcase their intellectualabilities are motivating to the young generation. As such, they willcreate the perception that education plays a vital role in theentertainment business (Choi and Reid, 2015). In the short term,celebrities may influence the self-esteem of young people, which isbeneficial in personality development. Promotion of positiveself-image is vital in dealing with issues related to self-esteem.

Boththe society and families of the youths are usually affected by thisproblem. Some of the outcomes of this influence, for instance, drugabuse and risky sexual behaviors, are both elements that concern theentire community. Substance abuse destroys the lives of the youthswhom the society considers as the future generation. Family dreamsareusually shatteredwhen children lose focus and start to pursue other activities thatare not beneficial (Scott, Muirhead, Shucksmith, Tyrrell, and Kaner,2016).

Socialworkers play an important role when it comes to addressing the issuesaffecting the community as a whole. The youths are the majorityglobally. The association between celebrity lifestyle and its effecton the young has been an issue of concern that has been investigatedby many researchers. The uncertainty surrounding the actual impact ofcelebrity influence has necessitated this research given the socialresearch was done on the topic is not comprehensive enough as amajority of studies have focused on youth consumption of productsmarketed by celebrities.

ThePurpose of Paper

Thisstudy intends to determine the effects that celebrities have on theyoung generation.

ResearchQuestion

Whatis the impact of celebrity lifestyle on the behaviors and attitudesof the youth?

NullHypothesis

Celebritylifestyle has no effect on the behavior and attitudes of the youths.

AlternativeHypothesis

Higherexposure to mass media depicting different aspects of celebritylifestyles will have an effect on the attitudes and behavior of theyouths.

LiteratureReview

Celebritiesare extremely significant in the lives of youths as they are in themedia and advertisement of the majority of the products (Beutler,2012). Although some are positive role models, many provide anegative influence on young people. Celebrity culture can affectissues such as eating disorders, low self-esteem, and drug andalcohol abuse. Both personal and celebrity-mediated social relationsplay a significant role in consumption values (Shah, 2016). Whenyouths see their celebrity models drinking alcohol and doing drugs,they may believe that it is a standard practice which they have toindulge in to fit into the society. Emerging adults can purchaseproducts to imitate their celebrity models in advertisements andsocial media.

Mostof the researchers focus on commentary surrounding this area of studyfocuses on how celebrity culture may impact on health and well-beingregarding eating disorders or mental issues. The rise of social mediasites provides celebrities with platforms that encourage theglorification of particular body types. According to studies, theadoration of thin celebrities influences in the rise of eatingdisorders in youths. Emerging people find it increasingly hard tocope with images from a celebrity culture that celebrates smallbodies while ridiculing larger ones and sexualizing children (Doyle,2016).Consequently, there is need to establish the significance of theinfluence of the public figures in shaping the behavior and attitudesof emerging adults.

Continualexposure to celebrity culture affects youths’ senses of identity.People in this developmental stage lack serious social or familialcommitments. Another consideration is how the media chooses topresent narrow ideas about how celebrities should look and behave(Miller,2015).As a result, there is social comparison through peer communicationand peer pressure. This society may consider young people whosebehavior falls outside the range as controversial or wayward. Femaleyouths may feel less confident about their bodies if they see thinmodels. Additionally, their male counterparts may receive pressurefrom celebrities to become more muscular. However, many youths aremore than capable of making informed choices about which celebritiesthey follow and are becoming aware of how the media positionscelebrities (Choi and Reid, 2015). Therefore, the study aims atdetermining whether the celebrity culture affects the health andwell-being of the young people.

Notably,a critical component of the transition to adulthood is the attainingof economic independent. The celebrity culture influences youngpeople to desire a life of no money worries. According to Beutler(2012), instead of aspiring to education and job opportunities, theyouths essentially focus on money, image, and status. Consequently,placing a higher value on materials trivializes relationships andundermines the person’s sense of worth (Doyle,2016).Although the desire for success is not an inherently negative goal,it becomes a setback when individuals view it as a means of extrinsicself-validation. There is the need to establish the distinctionbetween intrinsic and extrinsic financial aspirations.

Accordingto Shah (2016), young people need guidance on their expectationsabout money as they transition into adulthood. Many researchers haveestablished that the relationship between celebrity culture and thebehaviors of youths is a major concern of the 21st Century. Theymainly focus on youth consumption of products that celebritiesadvertise. However, this study is important to determine the actualimpact of the influential celebrity culture including other factorssuch as social media exposure.

References

Beutler,I.F. (2012). Connections to economic prosperity: Money aspirationsfrom adolescence to emerging adulthood. Journal of FinancialCounseling &amp Planning, 23(1), 17-32.

Choi,H., &amp Reid, L. N. (2015). Effectsof negative information levels and timing of exposure to negativenews in celebrity endorser advertising.&nbspTheJournal of Advertising and Promotion Research,&nbsp4,5-41.

Doyle,J. (2016). Celebrity vegans and the lifestyleof ethical consumption.&nbspEnvironmentalCommunication,&nbsp10(6),777-790.

Miller,M. B. (2015). Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Celebrity Media Dietand the Cultivation of Emerging Adults’ Materialism.

Scott,S., Muirhead, C., Shucksmith, J., Tyrrell, R., &amp Kaner, E.(2016). Does industry-driven alcohol marketing influence adolescentdrinking behaviour? A systematic review.&nbspAlcoholand alcoholism.

Shah,S. H. (2016). The Influence of TV Commercials on the Lifestyle ofYoungsters. Bangladeshe-Journal of Sociology,13(2),156.