What do you
think about pop star fan groups being mobilized for political and charitable
causes? Once a star becomes famous
and influential, do they have a moral obligation to use their influence to
make the world a better place, or should they just stick to what they know
best? What about all of the politicians
like Trump or Zelenskyy who were known as entertainment celebrities and had
little political experience when they came to power?
Sunday, November 26, 2023
Swift and sure
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As a former K-Pop stan I could criticize the fandom culture for hours as there are many toxic elements to it, but I have to admit that doing charitable work through fandoms is one of the most efficient ways to do it. It might just be the most positive aspect of these massive fan bases because it makes people donate to good causes whereas they might not have any motivation to do it on their own. However I do think that such devoted fans could be easily manipulated and unfortunately they often are. Once people are in these fandoms and strongly relate to the other fans, from my perspective, they are less likely to use critical thinking in certain situations. For instance when it comes to politics people who identify themselves with these fan bases are more likely to be conforming and just go with what the group says instead of critically thinking about whether their political direction is something that they agree with or not. Of course, motivating people to go vote and to vote for democracy is in my opinion a good decision on the side of the celebrity. Alongside that I wish celebrities that openly talk about their political opinions would also tell their fans to firstly educate themselves and then create an opinion of their own.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens in fandoms is sometimes out of a celebrity's control and the fans can create a toxic environment for themselves. For instance, oftentimes a fan can feel pressured and judged about a different opinion so they would rather change it to the majority’s opinion, which I can unfortunately confirm from my own experience. Likewise concerning any criticism directed at a celebrity the majority of their fans are likely to deflect this criticism and some even go as far as bullying the critics. As is mentioned in the article some fans of Taylor Swift have harassed her perceived enemies which includes celebrities and even common people who just do not fancy her. In the online world there is a massive problem concerning cyberbullying, especially coming from fans who are so obsessed with their favorite celebrity that they do not care about emotionally hurting somebody else. Unfortunately some of their comments and messages are death threats which cross even the legal border of such actions. I believe that these fans are just “blinded by their love” for the celebrity and their fandom but it creates a very toxic parasocial relationship.
- Mária
As I have never been such a super fan of any artist, I find it quite impressive to hear about the vast influence that such fandoms can have. Of course, if a group of fans want to involve themselves in a political or charitable cause, it’s up to them. With their sheer size, they can have a massive impact, as the article mentioned the BTS Army raising 1 million dollars in just over a day. If the fans want to do such a thing, then I don’t see why they shouldn’t. The issue that could arise with this is pressure on the members of the fandoms to act as the majority to feel included. people bashing other fans for not being “real fans” for not attending shows or knowing every detail about the given celebrity can breed a very toxic environment that has been observed even amongst BTS fans. Such a feeling of exclusion could push people to act on political issues without entirely wanting or researching the issue simply for the sake of being accepted within the fandom.
ReplyDeleteWith the issue of fandom engagement in politics, comes the concern of whether or not famous and influential “stars” should have a moral obligation to make the world a better place. I recently saw a video of Selena Gomez promoting her new line of cosmetics and was quite surprised when I found the comment section filled with people calling for her to start fundraisers to support Palestine. Considering the gravity of the situation, I understand the motivation of people to leave such comments, I simply expected the vast majority to be related to the premise of the video rather than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is rather logical to see why people comment such things considering the pure influence that someone as famous as Selena Gomez could have, but believe that no matter the influence a public figure such as a celebrity has, it remains up to them to choose what they use their platform for, even if the general moral ideation would be for them to use it to help as many people as possible. After all, most celebrities didn’t necessarily ask for the attention they receive and in most cases, did not grow to fame thanks to their political activism. I do, however, consider it their responsibility to remain aware of their power and its potential effect and to act accordingly.
-Veronika
This definitely is not the first time I’ve heard about fandoms going to extreme lengths to show their vast support for their favorite artist, however I never grasped why they do it. When I read about journalists receiving death threats for bashing Taylor Swift, I just cannot comprehend it. These fans don’t even know the artists personally and will most likely never even meet them. I think some fans, especially in our generation, are so easily-influenced and think this is the way to go when showing someone support. I think that in cases like these, amongst others, artists should use their platforms to encourage their supporters to stop sending death threats and bashing others for not sharing the same interests. When an artist, celebrity, influence, etc. has a widely-known or large platform, I do believe it’s their obligation and responsibility to use it wisely and meaningfully. I believe when someone has the “power” to voice something important knowing it will reach far more people than if an ordinary person voiced it, I don’t see a reason why they shouldn’t. I think this is one of the things that comes with having a platform and if those requirements are not met, they may find themselves without a platform, or one that is no longer as large. When it comes to political engagement, I’m not even sure where I stand. If we take the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an example, I can’t imagine a celebrity calling out one side as opposed to the other because of the distinction of their followers. Not everyone is going to agree with one side or the other. I guess it depends on the situation, maybe it can’t be characterized generally.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that comes with having a platform is making sure your “faulty moves” aren’t going to reach the public eye. This is something Taylor has failed to do. Her most recent scandal involved thousands of people, Swifties included, bashing her and re-thinking their support for her after she produced 138 tonnes of emissions after three months by flying back and forth to see her boyfriend. This is equivalent to a “regular” person’s emission production of 34 years. I found this quite funny because I remembered seeing a post of Taylor’s where she encouraged Greta Thunberg, which makes her actions completely hypocritical. I’m not saying a celebrity can’t make mistakes, but when someone who has so many people looking up to them, has such a large influence and was obviously very well aware of her wrong doings, I don’t understand why she would keep doing it. Overall I think there is no right approach to having a platform and using it, because if they’re too involved in every conflict, they’re going to receive hate, and when they’re involved too little, they’re also going to receive hate.
-Gretka
Gretka, while I agree with your concluding statement that people will always find aspects of public figures to criticise, I do not quite agree with your statement that “when someone has the “power” to voice something important knowing it will reach far more people than if an ordinary person voiced it, I don’t see a reason why they shouldn’t”. This brings along the implication that celebrities should try to wring the most benefit out of their platform as possible, which , although theoretically correct. seems rather idealistic to me. I agree that with fame comes a great responsibility. However, I believe that this responsibility should more closely relateto the way that public figures should not act, rather than the way they should. The main risk I would expect with this expectation trying to be met, would be many celebrities making statements on various complex topics, that they simply do not fully understand. Not only could this lead to confusion but misinformation. Overall, I do believe that public figures should have the right to state their opinions on any topic they desire, but expecting them to make claims on “important topics”simply because they know their voice has more reach would cause more harm than good.
Delete-Veronika