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Society is a powerful entity that could be explored to achieve different goals or to satisfy some private needs. For this reason, attempts to impact peoples mentality and shape their opinion have been an ongoing issue for centuries. Since the age of first civilised societies, people have been exploring different tools like public speaking, bribery, threat, blackmailing, etc. to gain support and attain a certain goal. However, at the moment we could observe revolutionary changes in the given sphere. The rapid rise of technologies preconditioned the increased importance of media and reconsideration of its role in the life of every person. At the moment, everyone has immediate access to numerous information fields and data related to all aspects of our life. However, the increased convenience and ubiquitous character of media is a two-edged weapon as it also affects individuals and makes them vulnerable. The fact is that nowadays, media is used as a powerful tool to shape publics opinion and make individuals unconsciously give preference to a certain politic force, group, service, or good.
At the same time, the power of media increased greatly when the new way to affect people appeared. The invention of the Internet and its mass spread could be considered a new epoch in the evolution of this sphere. At the moment, almost every person in developed states is able to use this tool as the source of knowledge. Thus, the bigger part of the information that could be found there is not neutral and bears a certain meaning (Golbeck 2015). Very often the data is presented in the way that impacts a persons attitude to a certain phenomenon and guarantees his/her adherence to a certain behavioural pattern. That is why this very tool is very often used by politicians, marketing experts, and celebrities.
The last category is extremely popular at the moment. The rise of their favour could also be associated with the spread of technologies and media. However, peoples readiness to follow outstanding individuals is not new. It could be explained by the desire to belong to the privileged class and feel themselves a part of the topical discourse, and modern technologies help individuals to do it (Fraser & Brown 2002).
An outstanding popularity of Instagram is another important feature of the coherent society. It appeared as a platform where that helped people to share their photos; however, in the course of its evolution, it became one of the most influential tools of the modern digital society (Golbeck 2015). The usage of a certain photo in either negative or positive context might alter an individuals attitude to an event or engage him/her in a certain activity. In this regard, Instagram suggests a number of opportunities to communicate with people via short messages, or posts, supported by a picture. Another fact that explains the increased demand for this very tool and the unique role it plays in the modern society is its popularity among celebrities (Turner 2014). Previously, they needed a fashionable magazine to have their photos printed and discussed. Therefore, Instagram provided them with a possibility to make it on a daily basis and free. For this reason, their contribution to the development of this very tool could hardly be overestimated.
In this regard, considering the above-mentioned information, the main aim of the paper is the comprehensive investigation of the way celebrities impact public opinion and how Instagram profiles could be used to achieve this goal. We assume that using their profiles, popular stars could intentionally affect their followers trying to get some benefits. For this reason, the case of Black Star Mafia is chosen as the background for the investigation. It is characterised by the unique advertising company that was exercised via social media only. The event attracted the attention of thousands of people and could be used as the good case.
Besides, the main research question is whether the usage of Instagram by celebrities could shape public opinion and motivate them to perform some actions or not.
The main research objectives are:
- to determine the impact celebrities have on public opinion nowadays
- to investigate the role social media plays in the modern world
- to trace the correlation between the popularity of a certain event and its reflection in social media
The paper also contains literature review section which incorporates the latest data related to the issue; methodology section which justifies the choice of specific methods; findings section that discusses the obtained data; and conclusion in which the most important points are summarised.
Altogether, having completed the given research project, we could state the following facts. First of all, the usage of a specific case to investigate the impact celebrities and Instagram might have on people could be considered an appropriate choice as it provided credible and relevant information about the issue and promoted the better understanding of the main mechanisms in accordance to which the modern social media along with popular people might impact our mentalities. Additionally, the methodology used for the project could also be described as appropriate. This very research pattern resulted in the increased feasibility of the study and helped us choose Instagram profiles relevant for the main research objectives. There were also some limitations; however, they did not disfigure the final findings because of the efficiency of the above-mentioned approach. At the same time, there are also several aspects that should be given great attention and investigated in the course of some future projects because of their increased importance and specific limitations peculiar to our study. Finally, the main findings obtained in the course of the research could be considered extremely topical in terms of the rapid rise of social media and enhanced power of celebrities. For this reason, it could be used in other works devoted to the investigation of this very issue.
Besides, there are several points that could be considered the main findings of the research. First of all, an outstanding impact of celebrities on the modern society becomes obvious. Trying to feel themselves a part of the modern discourse, people start to follow their idols, copy their behaviours, and adhere to the patterns promoted by celebrities. This assumption is proved using the relevant literature devoted to the issue. Moreover, analysing the Black Star case, we also come to the conclusion that the usage of the Internet and social media only to promote a certain event could be considered rather efficient in the modern society. The case demonstrates that thousands of the Internet users or people who had their Instagram profiles were attracted by this very campaign and visited the fast-food restaurant. Additionally, their posts, both positive and negative ones, contributed to the enhanced popularity of this event and attracted even more people. Analysing the data obtained from these posts, we could state that the number of positive comments prevails. It evidences the fact that Timur Yunusov, as a celebrity, managed to create a certain brands image and shape public opinion to attain success and attract people.
In the course of the investigation, we also managed to achieve the first research objective and determine the impact celebrities have on people in the modern society. Reviewing the literature related to the given topic, we managed to define the term celebrity and provide a theoretical basis for its appreciation by individuals. The latest research works state that the unique importance of famous people is explained by the fact that they represent the archetypical model of behaviour that is associated with a luxurious lifestyle and other desired states (Ciadini 2014). For this reason, celebrities use all possible opportunities to emphasise their superior position and set up themselves as representatives of the most important values. Furthermore, they also respond to the oscillations in the value system peculiar to the coherent society. For this reason, their popularity and importance for the society remain stable on the high level. Applying the main data collected from the relevant literature to the Black Star case and Instagram profiles, we were also able to prove the fact that the role of celebrities in the modern world is so significant that they could easily introduce new tendencies and shape public opinion in different ways.
Conducting the study, we also come to the conclusion that social media plays a crucial role in the modern society and there is the tendency towards the further rise of its importance. Investigating this aspect, we admit the fact that the enhanced position of different platforms like Instagram could be explained by the high level of celebrities engagement in their promotion. The fact is that they perfectly realise the great potential of this very tool and use it to deliver messages to followers, admirers, and common people. They explore different strategies and approaches like persuasion and persuasive messages to assure that people will be affected by hidden appeals (Perloff 2010). At the same time, social media makes these attempts to shape individuals behaviour not too obtrusive (Simons & Jones 2011). It means that a person is sure that it is his/her own choice to buy a certain product or visit a certain event (Thaler & Sunstein 2008). Therefore, we also apply the theory of social proof to explain the increased importance of media in the modern world (OMahony & Meenaghan 1997). People belong to a community with its unique trends and demands. For this reason, they are not able to ignore the increasing popularity of a certain event and, at the same time, also contribute to its rise.
Furthermore, as far as the determination of the correlation between the popularity of a certain event and its reflection in social media was one of the main research questions of our study, we used 64 Instagram profiles to trace the evolution of the attitude to Black Star Burger and users response to the advertising campaign initiated by Timur Yunusov to promote his new company and attract people. Besides, analysing these profiles, we come to the conclusion that the more public opinion a certain event attracts, the more posts related to the issue appears. Moreover, delving into the given research question, we also manage to prove the idea that in case celebrity like Timur Yunusov uses social media as a platform to gain support and alter attitude to a certain phenomenon, a comparatively high number of people are expected to follow the outlined behavioural pattern and engage in the process. Using the data from the above-mentioned Instagram profiles, we also come to the conclusion that profiles characterised by many followers collect greater support and their posts gather more likes. It proves the idea about the correlation between the popularity of a person and public support provided to him/her. At the same time, we also state that social media tends to reflect the latest and the most important events in the life of any community which makes it extremely powerful tool.
Finally, the study also answers the main research question whether the usage of Instagram by celebrities could shape public opinion and motivate them to perform some actions or not. Analysing the event related to the Black Star Burgers opening and the way its promotion was organised, we could state that in the coherent society celebrities have a unique opportunity to impact peoples mentalities by conveying messages through social media and other platforms like Instagram. The data collected from different profiles proves the fact that people responded to Timur Yunusovs appeal to visit the new fast-food restaurant and leave their feedback. Additionally, the popularity of this very celebrity resulted in the explosion of interest even among people who do not like fast-food (Black Star Burger 2016). The opening of this very restaurant attracted hundreds of people, and it could be used as a credible evidence of the significant impact celebrities have on the modern society. Timur Yunusov was able to shape attitudes of Instagram users and guarantee the undying interest to Black Star Burger (Black Star Burger 2016). Resting on this fact, we could state that the usage of Instagram by celebrities could guarantee enhanced final results and contribute to the increased popularity of one or another event indicated by a popular person. In such a way, their ability to shape existing attitude to different phenomena should be noted.
Using the conclusions obtained from the research, we could also formulate several recommendations that could be useful for the further investigation of this very topic. First of all, the further empowerment of social media is evident. Exploring the data from the literature review and the case, we could state that it will become even more influential tool determining the way people respond to some popular events. For this reason, the further investigation of social media is crucial for the enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of the formation of public opinion and how individuals might use platforms like Instagram for their private purposes. Moreover, speaking about celebrities and the role they play in the society, it is possible to recommend to introduce a new study aiming at the comprehensive investigation of the way they attain success with the audience. In the paper, we state that their outstanding impact on the audience is obvious; however, the roots and background of their decisiveness remain unclear. For this reason, it is important to understand the backwards process, or how social media makes a person popular and guarantees his/her undying popularity among users.
Besides, conducting the research, we were also able to obtain positive and important experience related to the research process itself. First of all, the investigation of this very issue could be considered rather topical and important concern that is discussed by the majority of people at the moment. For this reason, the collection of the real-life facts and pieces of evidence was not so complex. At the same time, only credible data could be used for this sort of the paper. However, considering the character of the research, personal preferences and prejudiced attitudes could also be used either to prove or to refute a certain statement. It could be considered one of the most important aspects of the whole project as it rests on the collection of facts proving alterations in mood, motivation, or preference.
There also were certain limitations that could not but impact the structure of the study and final results. First of all, the number of profiles used for the investigation was limited. The usage of bigger numbers will obviously help to attain the improved results and prove the existence of a certain correlation between the popularity of a certain celebrity and his/her ability to impact public opinion (Creswell 2013). However, it would also make the paper too congested. For this reason, the preference to this approach was given.
In future, we plan to continue the investigation of the issue. As stated above, the backwards process of how social media contributes to the increased popularity of a certain person or event will be investigated. It is an important task to understand the mechanisms that determine the spark of the interest to one or another phenomenon and precondition the alteration in the public opinion. Additionally, considering the limitations peculiar to this very project, the further investigation will be conducted using the bigger sample size to guarantee the increased credibility of the basic assumptions and formulate the most important regularities peculiar to the modern society. The combination of these two aspects will help to make a new project feasible and assure that its findings will be relevant.
Altogether, celebrities could be considered one of the most important actors in the modern world. Using social media as the platform to deliver their persuasive messages, they could shape public opinion by emphasising one or another factor or by giving preference to a certain trend that gains momentum. The given paper proves all assumptions related to the issue by analysing the case of Black Star Burger and attention that it managed to attract. Being a celebrity, Timur Yunusov used his unique status to guarantee the success of the project and motivate people to visit the restaurant.
Reference List
Black Star Burger: the first Russian national burger 2016, Web.
Ciadini, RB 2014, Influence: Science and practice, Pearson, Harlow.
Creswell, J 2013, Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, SAGE Publications, London.
Fraser, BP & Brown, WJ 2002, Media, celebrities, and social influence: Identification with Elvis Presley, Mass Communication & Society, vol. 5, no. 2, pp.183-206.
Golbeck, J 2015, Introduction to social media investigation: a hands-on approach, Syngress, Waltham, MA.
OMahony, S & Meenaghan, T 1997, The impact of celebrity endorsements on consumers, Irish Marketing Review, vol. 10, no. 2, pp.15-24.
Perloff, RM 2010,The dynamics of persuasion: communication and attitudes in the twenty-first century, Routledge, Abingdon.
Simons, HW & Jones, JG 2011, Persuasion in society, Routledge, Abingdon.
Thaler, RH & Sunstein, CR 2008, Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness, Penguin, London.
Turner, G 2014, Understanding celebrity, Sage Publications, London.
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