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Suzanne Green
English 102
Padgett
9 February 2016
How do celebrities negatively influence society?
I am studying this topic because it is interesting. I have interest in celebrities and find it
compelling how much influence they hold over their fan bases. It would be interesting to
research how celebrities are bad for society, and why this is. Personally I do not buy a product if
a celebrity suggests to, nor do I obsess over any particular celebrity. I do, however, pay attention
to them and follow celebrities on social media. I am interested to see how others in society are
influenced by celebrities knowing of peculiar incidents; people getting surgery to look like a
celebrity, wearing the same clothes, etc. It would also be interesting to see the health risks that
can come with obsessing over a celebrity; anorexia, personality disorders. I do not believe it will
affect my values being that I am not severely obsessed with any one person, but it will make me
more aware to the power of fame. I am qualified because I keep up with celebrities. I know a lot
about the celebrities, now I will learn a lot about their overly obsessive fans.
Sources:
1. Lindenberg, Siegwart, Janneke F. Joly, and Diederik A. Stapel. "The Norm-Activating Power Of
Celebrity: The Dynamics Of Success And Influence." Social Psychology Quarterly 74.1 (2011):
98-120. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Feb. 2016.
a. This article covers the relationship between society and celebrities. It claims that
people involved with a celebrity at any level are influenced by them. It more thoroughly

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investigates the relationship between fans who feel a personal connection with a celebrity. It
finds that these fans are more likely to develop similar behavior as their beloved celebrity.
b. This article values evidence, conducting their own studies on the subject. It introduces
the reader to the subject, and then provides them with proven ideas. The studies are explained in
great detail. The interest is celebrity influence, it covers in great detail how the celebrities effect
their fans norms.
c. This article was written between three different people. That in itself gives this article
credibility, being that many separate views were taken into account. Not only that, but all three
authors have PhDs in sociology. The article was published in a journal called Social
Psychology Quarterly. I think this article is very credible, written by knowledgeable people and
published in a journal meant for sociology experts.
2. Cheng, Andrew T.A., et al. "The Influence Of Media Reporting Of A Celebrity Suicide
On Suicidal Behavior In Patients With A History Of Depressive Disorder." Journal Of Affective
Disorders 103.1-3 (2007): 69-75. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Feb. 2016.
a. This article focuses on an experiment. The experiment follows depressed individuals
and their reaction to hearing of a celebrity suicide. The experiment found that individuals were
greatly affected, one-third of those followed attempted suicide themselves. This article can be
used as evidence over the idea that people will copy whatever it is a celebrity does.
b. This article, like the previous article, focuses on evidence. They conducted their own
experiments. I think the authors interest was to prove how influenced society can be. Cheng was
interested in how people with severe depression would react to a celebrity who also had

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depression; seeking to see if the familiarity between the fan and the celebrity would lead to
suicidal behavior.
c. This article is credible because it comes from the library database. The article was
originally posted in the journal of affective disorders. I can assume that this article is credible
because it had to be accepted into this journal, as written out on the first page of the article.
3. "Negative Influences of Media on the Society." Influence Guide. Influence, n.d. Web. 6
Feb. 2016. <http://influence.bafree.net/negative-influences-of-media-on-the-society.php>.
a. The overall claim in this article is that media has a negative impact on society. It does
not give any outstanding evidence, but it is very informative. It spans from the small affects that
celebrities have on fans, to eating disorders. It was good to use to gain some information on the
topic that I can now further research.
b. This article values ideas. It does not follow any evidence. It is focused on giving
information with little background or reasoning behind it. I think the authors interest was simply
getting their ideas out there. I can presume much of what they have claimed is true, so this article
is in its own way useful to my paper.
c. The author and date are both unlisted, so I really cannot find this article to be too
credible. This being said, since I am only using this article to retrieve very basic information I
find that I can still use this article. It does come from an organization called Influence Guide.
Reflection:
My research question is arguable because I know many people would find celebrities to
have positive effects on youth. My research question evokes an interesting idea that can then

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branch out into many different categories to research. All of my articles had the similar idea that
most everyone is affected by celebrities and that the most obsessed fans can grow a strange,
unhealthy relationship to the celebrity. The different sources make me believe in my research
topic; I have so many different subcategories to choose from for my body paragraphs. I may
make my research question less and less broad throughout my research process.