The Shifting Role of Celebrity
The rise of social media has given prevalence to a modern term: the parasocial relationship. Feeling as though you know somebody well, like a celebrity, even though they know nothing of you.
This phenomenon can better explain how celebrities are perceived in our culture and how they’re able to influence others.
Illustration by Brittany England
Old Age Celebrity
When you read the name Marilyn Monroe, what comes to mind? For many, the iconography of her white dress over the sewer grate comes to mind. Or, maybe, it’s her rendition of Happy Birthday to the President of the United States.
Regardless, you may feel like you know Monroe to a certain extent. The consumption of this persona put on by Monroe allowed audiences to draw an attachment to Monroe’s limited media output. The parasocial relationship between Monroe and her audiences, however, was not at the extreme many parasocial relationships are now.
New Age Celebrity
Influencers. A title that’s synonymous with rising TikTok stars who dance in their parent’s basements. They post consistently, have relatable personalities to their audiences, and allow audiences to see them constantly as they output more content every day.
The overwhelming amount of content coming from these influencers allows for their fans to feel closer than ever to the celebrities they enjoy. Take, for example, Kim Kardashian. Kardashian has been part of her own family’s reality show, walked hundreds of red carpets, and tops the headlines Monroe once did many years ago.
Photo via Google
The difference between these women is that Kim Kardashian’s audience likely feels much closer to her than Monroe’s once did. They’re able to see her be a “normal person” on her Instagram stories and what she does in her daily life 24/7. This shift shows how the digital age better allows audiences to get to know modern celebrities.
What Does This Mean?
The issue comes in the fact of what celebrities are able to do with their influence. Due to the newfound closeness many audiences feel due to these parasocial relationships, celebrities have a lot of power over the people that follow them.
Many influencers use this power they have over others due to these parasocial bonds to sell a product of make a “quick buck.” This is cause for concern as the marketing of these potentially hurtful products are endorsed by consumers who may feel a connection with the person selling it.
It’s on both celebrities who bear the responsibility to be transparent in their goals as an influencer and consumers to be more critical of these parasocial relationships to better understand the balance between celebrities and their audiences.
Before reading this, I rarely considered that maybe reality television show stars such as the Kardashians may not genuinely act the way they do when on camera. While I don’t watch their show specifically, watching post-game interviews or press conferences with professional athletes make me feel as though I know them personally. Thanks for opening my eyes to this!
I think its really interesting how you talked about the marketing aspect of social media influencers. I am taking a class called Persuasion and Propaganda and we discussed a persuasion tactic called consubstantiation in which people are able to convince people of things since people believe they are one in the same as the person convincing them. This is true for social media influencers since their followers believe that they are similar to the influencers they follow and therefore want to do the same things as them or own the same items. I think this is exactly what you were discussing with influencers making a “quick buck” based on their ability to persuade people.
I think the reference to social media really shows how close we can get to these celebrities. You mentioned Instagram stories, and I feel like this is a great connection because it seems that these personalities tend to be more free nowadays whether it be regular posts, stories, and even lives. This shows a really interesting perspective.