Celebrification in Politics
PHOTO COURTESY: Philippine Star
In a country where showbiz and politics are closely linked and celebrities coexist with ease, it is inevitable for legitimacy to be mistaken as popularity. Which most likely happens when
voters choose whose name to write under in the election ballots— perceiving celebrities with an extremely significant role to play.
Politics has also been alleged of becoming an entertainment industry, with the appearance and presentation taking precedence over governance skills. The result of the phenomenon of celebrities entering politics caused the political scales to tilt towards the rich. And the fresh perspectives that celebrities bring, free them from political patronage as well as increasing the variety of viewpoints represented in our country.
The term “celebrification,” also known as “celebritification,” was coined by several authors to describe the way that the celebrity factor defines behavior and influences how an individual perceives a person, concept, or product as a result of their “parasocial” interactions with the personalities of popular entertainment media.
According to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, the term “celebrification” is also used to describe an occurrence that seems to be rampant in the Philippine political landscape during election seasons: celebrities support candidates while they are running for a position, and celebrities even go into politics themselves with the intention of serving the public.
However, the use of celebrities as endorsers may boost voters’ susceptibility to political commercials. Here are some instances of this phenomenon: in the past, while he was romantically linked with notable TV broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez, Mar Roxas, the former secretary of trade and industry, was elected to the Senate. (They got married in 2009, which coincided with Roxas’ emergence as a vice presidential candidate in the May 2010 presidential elections.)
Moreover, conversations regarding the idea of “celebrification/celebritification” all point out the power and influence that celebrities have on society today. Yet, there is still a lack of research on the reasons behind people’s “halo” or “angel-like” perceptions of celebrities and the motives underlying the growth of the celebrification culture.
Furthermore, since interpersonal relationships and the media are facets of communication that are crucial to the celebrification process, produces a unique effect on the media to the people and can be equated to social interaction— influencing delicate political matters and shaping the relationship between the voting public and celebrity endorsers.
By: Pauline Anacay
NEWS SOURCE: https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/28274-celebrity-power-politics-connection/
INFO SOURCE: https://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/socialsciencediliman/article/view/1979/1869
