Americans love their natural-born rights, and celebrities are no exception. Freedom of speech in particular goes hand in hand with social media. Social media is a great platform for people and celebrities to voice their opinions. Celebrity platforms reach more people than that of the United States population. On Instagram, the most followed user is Cristiano Ronaldo with 640 million followers, and in the top ten most followed people on Instagram, the number doesn’t fall below 300 million. Celebrities have a substantial impact on people all around the world, and the validity of their opinions are no different than anyone else’s.
This is incredibly prevalent when it comes to the 2024 presidential election. Taylor Swift voiced her opinion in her Instagram post on Sept. 10, acknowledging that she will be voting for Kamala Harris. “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” posted Swift. She also touched on the subject of Tim Walz, believing the movements he supports are worth standing up for.
Swift goes on to suggest that her 284 million followers need to do their own research when it comes to the 2024 presidential election. “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice,” said Swift. “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.” She voiced her opinion while also stating how she made her decision and directly advising her followers to do the same.
Like Swift’s vocal support for Harris, Elon Musk’s platform X has greatly advocated for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Musk allowed an over two-hour-long conversation with Trump to be live-streamed where the former president was allowed to make multiple false claims with no fact checks. Musk pushed notifications to X users fundraising for Trump’s campaign, while also locking an account that promoted Harris. Musk has made it very clear he will be voting for Trump. Musk and Swift’s situations are very different. While Swift posts on a platform, Musk owns a platform that he has complete control over where he can promote his ideas to push out to the public. Regardless, both celebrities have every right to voice what they believe in.
Many can argue that celebrities have responsibilities and have no business sharing their opinions on social media, especially with the amount of people they influence. The idea is that whatever they are famous for is what they should stick to. Refusing to believe that celebrities have the right to voice their opinions on social media, or in general, is denying that they are American citizens. Celebrities are not responsible for their followers.
Celebrities can influence a substantial amount of people; however, that does not mean people should do what they say word for word. Opinions are opinions and should not be taken for the truth by anyone. There would be far less tension and hostility if there were no differing opinions throughout society. However, without hearing different opinions, there would be no process in which opinions or beliefs could be switched, leading to monotonous communities throughout the world. Differences in opinions tend to turn into an argument rather than a civil discussion; nonetheless, a difference of opinion is necessary for a successful society. The idea that people can voice their opinions and be able to disagree with one another is a gift; although, it may not always seem like one. Celebrities do differ from the average American, but regardless, their opinions should not be discredited because of their follower count.
Celebrities differ from average Americans for a multitude of reasons; however, that does not invalidate the opinions they have in the world we all live in. Although some things may not impact them as much as an average person, they still have the natural born right to voice their opinions and beliefs, both political and personal. Despite celebrities having countless eyes on them, they need to be able to voice their opinions to promote a free-thinking world.
