– The Poly Post Celebrities don’t know everything

By Emely Bonilla, Oct 17, 2023

Every day we see headlines revealing that another war is brewing or how climate change will threaten our already fragile future, all while trying to stay on top of our classes. Living in such a tense time has made us pay attention to consistent stress relievers like social media and the celebrities and influencers who make these platforms what they are today. These people become such a huge part of our lives, but they can rarely empathize with the people who support them the most.

Accordingly statisticsMore than half of social media users actively follow celebrities such as musicians, actors or influencers and tend to be dependent on them in some way. Whether you followed them for fashion inspiration or to keep up with your favorite sports team, we set expectations in people we don’t even know.

The more we engage with content from influencers and celebrities, the harder it becomes to draw boundaries with these people and realize how little we really know about them. When I was young, I would watch YouTubers for hours, and every time one of them gets canceled, it doesn’t even surprise me anymore.

Through social media, we can see strangers expressing the most intimate parts of themselves. Internet stars like Charli D’Amelio or the Kardashians have camera crews following their every move, and we begin to feel like we understand them, even though in reality we will never understand it, and they won’t be able to understand us either.

In recent years there has been a shift in audience perception, which I believe only became apparent as our generation matured a bit.

In the early 2000s, we rarely saw famous people held accountable. Individuals like Shane Dawson posted offensive content online, and no one realized the extent of his actions Until nearly a decade later, “Jokes,” but now celebrities can see an instant reaction from their audience, and we can see how they behave under this pressure.

Over the past week, we have seen celebrity and influencer support waver due to the war crimes committed between Israel and Palestine. We have seen distinguished people express their opinions on a brutal conflict that has lasted almost a century.

Celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kylie Jenner faced intense backlash after both expressed pro-Israel sentiments on their Instagram Stories. Bieber promoted an image of the destroyed Gaza Strip with the words “Pray for Israel” on the image, even though the damage in the image was caused by the Israeli movement. Jenner also shared She would side with Israel, but deleted the post shortly after about an hour when she lost a million followers.

These are just two examples of how celebrities use their plaIt is unfolding in an uninformed way and millions of people were there to witness it. The lives we lead are so different; I’m not sure these influencers will ever understand why the way they use their platforms matters.

Lauren Wong | The Poly Post

There have been several instances during the pandemic where celebrities were expected to act. Her audience wanted to know where they stood on certain issues like the COVID vaccines, Black Lives Matter, and the never-ending political debates. But there is one thing I will never forget: the beginning of the lockdown: Gal Gadot and friends sing “Imagine.”

In a two-minute video, the Superwoman actress and 24 of Hollywood’s richest collaborated on an unusual rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” hoping to inspire viewers to stay strong as we navigate today’s COVID-19 pandemic enter . The video spread like wildfire and today we still see people making fun of the post in the comments.

The video was posted on Instagram on March 18, 2020, about a week after the lockdown began. Many of us remember the first few weeks of lockdown as hectic and frightening. People struggled for basic necessities like food and water, while those with status filmed videos from their luxury homes.

As someone who has admittedly admired some celebrities, it shocks me to see how stupid some people with status can really be. I found myself applauding stars I liked for bringing attention to certain causes or donating money, but basically all they were doing was being a decent human being.

In The New Reality Check Report from PYMNTS In this group, approximately two-thirds of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and often struggle to pay their monthly bills when living alone. However, I believe that the people who have the most problems are the most generous.

We constantly see in the news that our government is trying to prevent the recession in the United States and that students are struggling to pay their rent, tuition, and living expenses. So why do celebrities expect their supporters to donate money to charity? excited about?

The most recent example of this was the crisis that recently occurred in Maui. Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson With a combined net worth of over $3 billion, they have created a fund called The People’s Fund of Maui to help those affected by this tragedy. People around the world debated Winfrey and Johnson’s intentions as the two celebrities did not mention how they would contribute to this fund in the original post and asked for “any support you can give.”

In the comments of the original post, viewers had very different perspectives. Some applauded Oprah and The Rock for using their platforms to raise awareness of the cause, while others lambasted the couple for asking for donations despite having amounts of money that people around the world can only dream of can.

When it comes to money, we as an audience tend to have a vocal reaction. Singer Olivia Rodrigo has been criticized for her use of Charity Platinum, a ticket option at three times the normal ticket price without disclosing how much of the proceeds go to charity.

This is just one of many examples of celebrities and influencers proving to their audiences that they are out of touch with the lives of most of their supporters. I think we often look to these people for guidance because they are so successful, but time and time again we see celebrities spreading ignorance.

Many of us grew up idolizing these characters, but when we think about situations like these, I think it’s time to take a step back and think about how easily they wither under the weight of our expectations.

Feature image courtesy of Lauren Wong