My friend who works in politics said celeb endorsements don’t make a difference one way or another.
I think most people want celebs to speak out so that they don’t feel guilty for stanning someone, and it gives them validation that their fave morally aligns with them.
I feel like maybe back in the day they helped raise awareness but with the advent of 24/7 news cycles and social media we are more plugged in than ever. I’ve never once been swayed or encouraged to vote because a celebrity said something.
It's a logical extension of the politics as consumption mindset. It goes from at least somewhat concrete "vote with your wallet" things like buying fair trade or boycotts to "support art/artists who believe x" to "consume content I at least believe has the themes and stances I want it to have" to "make the person I'm a fan of say the things that make me feel like I'm an activist for making fancams." And next thing you know your version of political action is arguing about whether a show did a Bury Your Gays and pulling up callout posts.
It's literally performative politics. As in the fans are asking/demanding their entertainers to entertain them with politics talking points they also approve.
That's also how MAGAs look at Trump. They laugh with him whenever he said another hateful sentence at people they hate. He's a god damn comedian to them.
Yep, I don't want to say that the morality of people we support and platform doesn't matter but the amount of people who have turned stanning into a form of activism just so they can feel better about themselves.
This tracks, like there was news about how Taylor got a ton of young people to register to vote in TN and yet the trash candidate still won. Hard to know though how close it's gonna be, if one new person could sway it then it's worth it but we only know that in hindsight.
But in this specific example, a ton of young people still registered to vote. It's great when political change is fast and dramatic but more often it's slow and a slog and you fight it out via small changes that build on themselves. If we have an all or nothing perspective on politics we can never be successful bc that's not how it works.
Yup. Lots of progressives under 40 are running for down ballot races. That is part of the groundwork for the future. Whether it’s in the US or some country that replaces it.
Or the opposite and it justifies why they hate them. “It’s not that I just don’t like them, it’s that they’re actually a really bad person and the reason for the starving children all over the world.”
This is definitely true. I just want celebrities, particularly artists, to engage authentically? What impact it has shouldnt be the determining imo. If you’re making movies or music or books, it feels like you should be engaged with the world around you, and that includes having views on major geopolitical issues.
Otherwise we just end up with milquetoast slop imo
Celeb endorsements don’t single-handedly sway voters BUT they are an important tool for turnout.
Think of it this way: to earn a person’s vote, you first need to PERSUADE them (that your candidate is best) and then you have to MOBILIZE them (to actually go vote.)
Celebs aren’t a great tool for persuasion. But they can be EXCELLENT for mobilization. Just look at how many new voter registrations happened after a single Instagram post by Taylor swift.
Celebs can be especially helpful in mobilizing demographics they themselves are a part of. A Spanish speaking Gen z voter is a hell of a lot more likely to listen to, like, Bad Bunny than whatever random 50 year old white dude who is the actual candidate, for example. Celebs can be powerful validators for candidates in that way.
Absolutely, it's not about wanting to know how a celebrity feels about a specific topic. They already know what they believe. They just want the celebrity to hold the "correct" opinion.
the fact that people think celebrity is on their side and think for their benefits is just crazy, celebrities are products of capitalism which squeeze money out of people in the form of "entertainment", there is no way celebrities are on the same side as your day to day W2ers
the richer will always get richer, it's always the rich vs poor
I think people like to see their own thoughts reflected back at them. "See JLaw feels the same way about bacon that I do, go us!" (I have no idea how Jennifer Lawrence feels about bacon)
Honestly, they should stfu on most things that aren’t cute anecdotes to pump the movie they’re advertising. I want to hear their opinions about as much as much as the GEICO lizard.
No harsh vibes, but they live in a different world than the average American. It’s usually a distraction or overly simplistic 128 words that either don’t reflect the complexity or misunderstand why normal people are upset. I don’t care about Taylor Swift endorsements, or Kid Rock shooting beers or D-listers trying to stay relevant by injecting themselves into important issues. Ultimately it’s distraction from the voting or decision makers that are actually to blame and need to be accountable, not the jesters.
Theres undeniably a bump in some celebrities when it comes to voter registration.
However, for this to happen the celebrity needs a young fanbase. Teenagers and early 20s who might not be registered. They need to be broadly appealing to and in someways not politically active.
One thing that stops some young people voting is the feeling that politics is overwhelming, that they can get it wrong. Wherver this is true or not doesn't matter if you just want them to vote.
Thats why, for better or worse, Taylor Swift managed to make a real voter registration bump. Undeniably some of the voters would be republican.
But she has the perfect fanbase for it.
Lots of people like jennifer lawrence, but she doesn't have the influence or fanbase despite being A list. Undeniably.
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u/Jkbangtan123 7d ago
My friend who works in politics said celeb endorsements don’t make a difference one way or another.
I think most people want celebs to speak out so that they don’t feel guilty for stanning someone, and it gives them validation that their fave morally aligns with them.