In this day and age, the influence celebrities have on their fans is extraordinary. Celebrities have the power to start clothing trends by merely wearing a specific brand in a picture. They can completely change the narrative about a company by appearing in their commercials. However, all of these practically juvenile examples of ways celebrities can influence their followers are nothing but a small exhibition of the true power they have over society.
From celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, who according to US Magazine “made her humanitarian work a top priority,” to celebrities who have donated millions of their net worth to charities, it’s no question that they can positively impact the planet and the people who live on it. But what about a more targeted issue; an election perhaps? Would fans band together and change the direction of the presidential election if their favorite celebrity encouraged them to do so?
The question narrows down to the level of fame this celebrity has. Take 2012, Obama against Mitt Romney. While Romney was endorsed by big names like Clint Eastwood and Jon Voight, Oprah’s endorsement of Obama, which was said to be worth over a million votes in his 2008 Democratic primary race, significantly helped his campaign. According to Pew Research Center data, when compared to other celebrities, Winfrey has a much greater influence which was apparent in aiding Obama’s presidential campaign through her endorsement.
Despite the data demonstrating a clear effect celebrity endorsements can have on an election, most people express that celebrities cannot influence their political opinions. In a poll taken with 27 students, 20 out of 27 expressed that a celebrity’s endorsement of a political candidate would not influence their vote.
In contrast, representing the minority of the sample, Shea Moore, a junior at DHS explained how the celebrities she follows do influence her political opinions as she follows only “celebrities that only support [her] same political beliefs.” Moore detailed how she does not support or follow celebrities who differ in political opinions from her. Along with this, her stance in not following celebrities “who have not shared politics” prevents a shocking reveal of a political endorsement from occurring.
She stated how the probability that a celebrity she follows endorsed a political candidate that she would support is “probably a hundred,” solely because “that’s the type of people [she] supports].”
Moore went on to describe her belief that being influenced by celebrities is “not problematic” as long as you “understand the way in which these people and their platforms affect their target demographic.” She emphasized how she does not follow celebrities who “promote toxic positivity,” referencing the Kardashians as an example, and how she only follows celebrities “for a talent not because [she thinks] their face is pretty.”
While most are not as open as Shea Moore with their interest in celebrities, it is obvious that they do have the power to, by the very least, get their fans out to vote. This is most recently proven in an Instagram Post by Taylor Swift which according to NPR News, drove “a surge in voter registration.” In her post, Swift encouraged her fans to use their voices in the November midterm elections and directed them to a link to register at Vote.org. Following that post were 35,252 new registrations on National Voter Registration Day which was said by the platform to be the most since 2020. Vote.org reported a 1,226% jump in participation in the hour after the post as well as the site’s average of 13,000 users every 30 minutes.
What Oprah’s impact on Obama’s election along with Taylor Swift’s impact on voter registration proves is that even if people are not ready to openly admit the influence celebrities have over their lifestyle, it’s there and will continue to be in next year’s presidential election. The only question is which of the candidates will be endorsed by celebrities with the biggest platform and how will that impact their campaign.
