{"id":99,"date":"2017-01-11T10:12:42","date_gmt":"2017-01-11T10:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blog.buprojects.uk\/2016-2017\/shanicetaylor\/?p=99"},"modified":"2017-01-11T11:05:24","modified_gmt":"2017-01-11T11:05:24","slug":"electing-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blog.buprojects.uk\/2016-2017\/shanicetaylor\/2017\/01\/11\/electing-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"Electing Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now I know up till now it’s all been quite light and airy discussing crazy fan groups and the Kardashians but it’s about time to start getting on to the\u00a0more serious stuff…<\/p>\n

2016 was a huge year in terms of politics – Brexit and the recent US elections are two occurrences that really stand out. Social media and celebrity culture are two factors that became massive influences in the decision making process of both resolutions.<\/p>\n

As a society we look to the internet forums and social media sites to find out information in regards to political decisions and changes – in particular the younger generations who are on the go and do not necessarily read newspapers or watch the news on TV. With celebrities having involvement in campaigns and ‘celebrity’ individuals themselves looking to run countries, the line between politics and celebrity culture is becoming increasingly blurred. The culprit of this blurring? Digital communication and the way it is used.<\/p>\n

VOTING IN A CELEBRITY<\/span><\/h4>\n

So it’s a new year, 2017, a time where cliche phrases such as “New year new me” are thrown about. People set goals for themselves and aim to improve their lives and themselves in some kind of way. There is one individual in particular who should probably adhere to this trend. See if you can guess… he’s recently been voted into presidency, he’s been known to be racist and sexist, oh and he’s a slight shade of orange. Got it yet?<\/p>\n

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Does having celebrity status mean you are qualified to do the job?<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Donald Trump may be one of the most controversial men to ever grace the planet – love him or hate him it can be assured that he will bring in an audience and boost the ratings. He currently has 19 million followers on Twitter, I myself am one of them. He doesn’t have my support and I highly doubt he ever will yet why do I follow him? Because he brings a kind of entertainment to the world, a messed up, twisted kind of course, but entertainment nonetheless. An aspect which astonishingly helped him gain his president elect status. With his finger in many a pie, The Celebrity Apprentice to name one, there is no doubting he is the ultimate celebrity candidate.<\/p>\n

\u00a0“Trump\u2019s campaign has become like an episode of\u00a0Keeping Up With The Kardashians<\/em>, with the American media as the producers.”<\/a><\/p>\n

MEDIATIZATION<\/span><\/h4>\n

Trump uses the social media platform Twitter as a powerful tool in his conquest to achieve his goals, whereas others in the past have deemed it appropriate to keep quiet online and instead let their actions speak for themselves. With the new American president using social media sites in such a way it is hard to take him truly seriously and we can instead recognise the petty actions that many celebrities resort to. His tweets may not give much hope as to what he will be like at running a country however it can be assured that they will make him famous. Famous for what is the problem though.<\/p>\n

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Just an example of the kind of tweets that the new President is gracing to the world – Good luck America<\/p><\/div>\n

Mr Trump’s choice as White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said the other day: “Whatever he tweets, he is going to drive the news.”<\/a><\/p>\n

Do those that bring in the biggest media response both on screen and online mean that they are qualified to run a country? Does their social media following mean they are able to lead and make life changing decisions for millions of people?<\/p>\n

Apparently so.<\/p>\n

INFOTAINMENT PLATFORMS<\/h4>\n

Twitter and Facebook have acted as platforms that celebrity politicians can use to endorse themselves. With the rise of digital media it is a bold move that will more than often score them points with the likes of the younger generation. Social engagements are reduced to an online presence and more often than not the supporters and audience they draw in will do the work for them and create a likeable and famous figure that we look to for guidance. Barack Obama is a key example of this.<\/p>\n