Celebrity activism should extend beyond social media posts
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On Aug. 29, Olivia Rodrigo held her first annual Daisy Chains Festival. The festival brought together 45,000 people and raised $20 million, all of which went to nonprofits supporting women’s rights, workplace protection and health. She used her influence and resources to turn her support for women’s rights into action.
Rodrigo’s activism is refreshing in a world where the socially acceptable way to speak out is by reposting an Instagram slideshow. This may be all the average person can do. Not everyone has the means to donate to a GoFundMe. But for celebrities and influencers with money and large platforms, a 24-hour story is the bare minimum.
In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement turned social media into a powerful tool for activism. Cancel culture intensifying over the past few years has only increased societal pressure placed on celebrities and influencers alike to use their platforms to speak out, so they often turn to social media to do so.
As a result, many celebrities and influencers’ activism is limited to reposting infographics, sharing black squares and posting temporary Instagram stories. While all of these posts help spread awareness, they’re not enough when millions of people are listening.
If influencers can convince millions of people to buy a product, try a trend or change their style, they can also encourage political participation. Their influence doesn’t disappear when it comes to real-world topics. Public figures should use their resources more and take action to make a change.
When celebrities do speak out, their messages are often watered down. At the 2026 Grammys, celebrities like Justin and Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish and Kehlani wore small, barely noticeable “ICE Out” pins on the red carpet. The pins made a statement, but a statement isn’t the same thing as sustained activism.
Celebrities can wear a pin for a night before returning to the luxuries of their life. The problem isn’t that these gestures are meaningless, but that they can become the extent of their activism. Public figures have millions of people watching them and money at their disposal. Doing the bare minimum, or choosing not to speak at all, means giving up an opportunity that ordinary people simply don’t have.
If influencers can convince millions of people to sell out a product, try a trend, or change their style, they can also encourage political participation.Emalie Vera, Columnist
When celebrities take their platforms for granted, it’s glaringly obvious. Amid the Israel-Palestine conflict, Selena Gomez broke her silence to announce she would be taking a break from social media on her Instagram story.
“I’m sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag. I just can’t stand by innocent people getting hurt. That’s what makes me sick,” Gomez said. “I wish I could change the world. But a post won’t.”
Gomez’s dismissal of her impact frustrated many people, and rightfully so. Her statement dismisses the influence that comes with having such a large platform. With over 400 million followers alone, Gomez has the ability to bring attention to issues her followers might not see or understand, far outside the bounds of social media.
It’s been proven that the influence celebrities and influencers have over their audience is powerful. A 2026 study examined 2,960 participants over two experiments and a study involving a real influencer with more than 600,000 followers. The study found that influencers do have real impacts on their followers and can increase their intentions to engage with political action. Furthermore, repeated exposure to an influencer’s message strengthened those effects.
An Instagram story that expires in 24 hours doesn’t do much to spread actual awareness. Influencers have the ability to control political participation, so they must talk about difficult topics while providing reliable information and resources on how to help.
Donating to nonprofits, encouraging their followers to sign petitions and supporting organizations are a few ways they can come forward and make a difference. A temporary Instagram story accompanied by an infographic shouldn’t be an acceptable form of activism for those with influence.
Instead of relying on celebrities to do all of the work for us, we as a society should use resources given to us to speak out against what’s happening in the world. We may not have as big a platform as those we follow, but we all have the power to make substantial change.
Emalie Vera is a sophomore majoring in English and textual studies. She can be reached at ehvera@syr.edu..
