Impact of Celebrity Culture
Introduction
Author Chikezie Emmanuel Uzuegbunam writes an article about the impact of media celebrities on the life of young Nigerians, and supports Packer's claim that today, celebrities have a big impact on modern society. Today, the increase in mass communication has increased the exposure of celebrities. The article concentrates on young people and it states that in the contemporary society, young people are exposed to both local and foreign celebrities through the Internet, magazines, television, print media, and other forms of mass media. The author states that celebrities have dominated modern societies and celebrity culture has transformed the lives of ordinary people. Note that Fame is not bad since celebrities help young people shape their future. However, fame or the celebrity culture has destroyed the lives of young people in that when creating their identity, they emulate the character of celebrity idols. Besides, there have an interest in infamous people and believe that celebrities' behaviors are acceptable. Generally, celebrity culture has negatively influenced modern culture by transforming the social attitude and lifestyle of young people.
In the past, ancient people created their gods and they recognized and worshipped them. In modern society, celebrities have possessed God-like status and characters, and people are obsessed with celebrities (Uzuegbunam, 130). People look upon them and they believe that they symbolize a 'higher being'. The media has motivated people to idolize celebrities by placing great importance on them and increasing their power and authority. It is important to understand that celebrity culture has been influenced by the mass media in that the media is at the forefront to report the world events (Uzuegbunam, 130). Ordinary people do not treat celebrities as humans but they perceive them as modern gods.
The author states that celebrity culture has affected the young generation in that even though celebrities may act as role models, they cause a detrimental effect on the life of young people. Note that teens pass through a transition period and at this period, they tend to create independence and identity. In searching for identity, they do crazy things such as buy clothes, seek family relations, and they may even engage in antisocial behaviors such as alcohol use (Uzuegbunam, 131). In contemporary society, young people utilize technologies and media and the images they come across such as popular music, drama series, and celebrity interviews, among others, influence their identity. The author asserts that youth are responding to the modernized and sophisticated culture. Young people learn behavior from observing. When celebrities are portrayed in the popular culture through music, movies, dance, and arts, they become susceptible to these images which one way or another they control their attitudes and personalities.
The celebrity cultures and the age of globalization are influencing the social life of youth since they are most likely to incorporate the modern cultural practices into their lives. In the study, full-time undergraduate students in the field of arts, law, social sciences, and education were selected and they were provided with one-ended questions (Uzuegbunam, 135). The questions were based on whether exposure to media content and lifestyle of celebrities impact their attitude and behaviors. The results showed that 79% of students reported that the lifestyle of celebrities impacted their lifestyle. The majority reported that celebrities affect their attitude and behaviors on sex and relationships (Uzuegbunam, 136). The main point is that celebrity culture has contributed to ‘celebrity worship syndrome' where young people become obsessed with celebrities life. Note that young people watch the way celebrities obtain wealth and social power and this becomes a driving force and the desire to achieve celebrity status. They perceive the celebrities as heroes and the desire to become like them in the future (Uzuegbunam, 136). Rather than associating themselves with meaningful activities, they focus on the life of celebrities which later affects them mentally.
Teenagers look up to celebrities in all aspects of their life. For example, their copy celebrities fashion, clothing, hairstyle, body image, dress codes, eating behaviors, among other behaviors. They believe that celebrities are role models and thus there will guide them in making life decisions (Uzuegbunam, 138). However, celebrities may harm the life of teenagers since some of them are tied to antisocial behaviors such as drug abuse and vandalism. It is important to understand that celebrities as role models have a negative influence and they have the power to promote antisocial behaviors (Uzuegbunam, 138). Therefore, it is important to educate teens about the negative celebrity influence so that they can control themselves by avoiding copying negative behaviors and take a healthy message.
Conclusion
Uzuegbunam supports Packer's claim that celebrities influence our culture. In contemporary culture, celebrities have influenced human society. Note that individuals and in specific young people are exposed to celebrities through advertisement, radio, television, among other means. The research paper has affirmed that exposure of the celebrities’ negative affects the lives of young adults. Note that they are exposed to appearance, behaviors, and lifestyle. All these elements create immorality which leads to perversion and rape culture. Note that young people like to be associated with celebrities and in specify they admire their fancy lifestyle, stylish clothing, entertainment, among other things which may negatively influence their attitude and behaviors.
Work cited
Uzuegbunam, Chikezie Emmanuel. "Between media celebrities and the youth: Exploring the
impact of emerging celebrity culture on the lifestyle of young Nigerians." Mgbakoigba:
Journal of African Studies 6.2 (2017): 130-141.
