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The article, “Exploring the influence of celebrities in politics: A focus group study of
young voters,” analyzes empirical research to understand the influence that celebrities
have on the younger generations. The authors conduct focus groups and use them to
measure the credibility of celebrities, as well as the social and political influence they have
on younger generations.
Historically, celebrities have been known to use their platform to advocate for policy
changes and political candidates. Their way of motivating the younger generation-
encouraging new voters to exercise their rights. Though some believe that celebrities who
(Nisbett, DeWalt), they do have a way of drawing massive attention to particular issues or
The author’s study contains eight focus groups conducted with 30 people in each
group. The participants, 73% of which were female, were drawn from a southwestern
university. The purpose of these groups were to create a place where participants could
discuss how they perceive celebrities in political environments. The participants were
During the course of the study, the participants put great emphasis on the
correlation between celebrity credibility and their capacity to influence young crowds of
voters. Celebrities were broken into categories based on their credibility in a political
context. The discussion shifted as these famous figures were analyzed, and the participants
their desires appeared egotistical or generous. As dialogue flowed, specific names were
brought up and the focus group found that being able to identify with a particular celebrity
had little to no influence on their opinions and voting patterns. However, as dialogue
progressed, they became more open minded to the different forms and degrees of influence
that celebrities possess. Furthermore, they discovered that a famous figure’s influential
peak will inherently be when a young adult feels they can best identify with that person.
Additionally, most participants agreed that it is younger people, those just below the legal
Connecting to the younger generation has become increasingly easier since the
presence of social media. Young people and famous figures are commonly found on a
variety of social media platforms. Participants commented on how social media was the
perfect medium for celebrities who want to quickly interact with mass audiences.
Additionally, they noticed that celebrities are faster to react on social media in regards to
young adult is dependent on that adult’s self esteem. Furthermore, their degree of influence
comes down to whether the adult views this celebrity as someone who reflects the
aspirations and desires the adult has set for themself. The participants who took part in
this study were all motivated by their peers, family and culture more so than a famous
figure. The focus group found that if a celebrity has decent credibility, capacity to identify
with others, and could advocate for an issue, they can serve as a driving force in motivating
younger generations to, at minimum, research a social or political problem. In closing, the
focus group research findings suggest that if the younger generation is met through their
most prominent medium, social media, they are more likely to become socially and
Nisbett, Gwendelyn S., and Christina Childs DeWalt. “Exploring the Influence of Celebrities
COMMUNICATION, vol. 24, no. 3, 1 June 2016, pp. 144–156. Communication & Mass
Media Complete.