Celebrity Culture's Influence On Politics

In this essay, the impacts of celebrity culture upon political communication will be discussed, particularly what celebrity culture is and how Barack Obama the celebrity president used this and new media (web 2.0) to influence public opinion and win the 2008 United States Presidential elections. And how his successful campaigning made him a celebrity because of the extensive publicity event, that was the campaign. Also how celebrities affect public opinion, and how they are used in political communications through their endorsements. And the way celebrity culture, popular culture and public relations has changed how politicians act and changed the way campaigns are conducted.

Due to new media (web 2.0), popular culture and public relations,

Because of new media, social networking, politicians have had to use these new ways of communicating and techniques of branding, personalization, performance and public relations to be ‘known’ to the younger generation; whom get their information largely from Social media platforms and Satire TV. Politicians need to carefully construct a desirable image for them to be favored by the public. And by publicizing their activities and policy agendas politicians are in a sense making their motives for running for electoral office more transparent (John Street 2003). These new contemporary politicians have to create a personal brand, be charismatic, relatable, etc. Social media platforms have made it possible for the Politician to communicate with the public and the public to be able to have instant access to them and their activities. Through advertising, marketization, and spin politicians construct their personalized image (Franklin

Ex-President Obama was successful in becoming a politician celebrity, and a public figure- with his many endeavors as mentioned above. He has been largely successful in his communication effort because he used the new media, and the ‘trends’ of popular culture to connect to the younger generation, and the different groups by shaping his persona into a highly desirable presidential candidate whom was able to then connect better to the public. Because he was Harvard educated he could connect with the white, blue collars and because of his upbringing as a mixed race with an african father whom was alcoholic and left his family at a young age and a white middle class working mother whom died of cancer, and the fact that he was a scholarship student and that he was able to beat the odds and come out on top, his photogenic family, his smart sophisticated supportive wife, his chicago accent. His life story, upbringing, ethnicity, education, his persona and charisma connected him to the public; and the use of ‘social’ media and various channels of communicating to the public and the connections that were made depending on different causes that communities felt strongly about were the reasons for Barack