With great power comes great responsibility. Celebrities have become a vital presence working with brands on social media, but many large influencers disregard global issues and fail to acknowledge calls to action from their audiences. Influencers need to use their platforms for the better to raise awareness about global issues.
Political movements often mobilize through social media with viral hashtags and videos. When these issues gain traction, people often turn to their favorite celebrities and influencers for monetary and verbal support due to their large presence online.
In many cases, influencers refrain from discussing these issues to avoid controversy and losing mainstream support. This is a valid concern, especially looking at celebrities like Bella Hadid who have lost millions of followers and partnerships with companies for speaking out against controversial issues. Maintaining a clean, neutral record can seem to be the most practical path for influencers to uphold their status within the industry, however, dozens of influencers can also lose millions of followers as a result of failing to speak out about the issues.
Many people, celebrities or not, cite “not being educated enough” as an excuse for not being vocal on their social media platforms. However, with the accessibility of various news channels, first hand accounts and perspectives through the internet and social media, they certainly have the resources to educate themselves and formulate their own opinions on pressing topics for the betterment of society. They typically have personalized comments left by their audience sharing various opinions and prompting them to learn more that can be used as a resource to become aware of the impact of the issue on society, not to mention the countless sources of information across news sites, social media and personal accounts from these conflicts.
While it is ineffective for celebrities to simply repost something that they do not know about, influencers gain such a large platform because of their followers, who are often greatly impacted by societal injustices. These followers support and promote influencers, therefore the influencer should have an obligation to listen to their followers and support their concerns whether it be by supporting them against racism and discrimination or to raise awareness about prevalent conflicts in order to uphold their reputation and maintain a positive relationship with their followers.
“Even though celebrities shouldn’t be the people that we turn to for research or facts, I still think it’s their job to at least bring awareness to big problems,” junior Divya Sundarajan said. “Since they have such a big impact on people, I think it is a responsibility for them to help those in need with their platform.”
It is true that influencers and celebrities rise to fame in their teenage years or their early twenties, and quickly gaining such a large platform can make taking public stances on controversial topics difficult. However, the excuse of ignorance is not always valid, as there are countless ways to become educated on a topic.
Although they may be famous for their makeup routines or interesting lifestyles, the trait that draws people to influencers is their humanity. Therefore, as millions of people flood the comments and demand acknowledgement, influencers should be expected to aid their followers and echo their calls to action. Celebrities need to be held accountable for failing to exercise their voice, especially if they know that their voice can truly make a difference.
