Celebrity Culture in India- a Survey

CULTURE

Aug 24

Disclaimer: This survey is not an accurate estimation of the public perception of fame and celebrity as there are bound to be variations across different societal demographics, depending on their exposure to new media, etc.

Introduction

In our last piece dissecting celebrity culture in India, we established the notoriety of celebrity obsession and it’s somewhat dangerous consequences in society today. In order to understand the particulars of our audience’s relationship with such a culture, we did a micro survey involving 415 participants about what they thought of fame, who their favourite celebrities were and what they thought of them. Here’s what we came up with.

WHO TOOK THIS SURVEY?

1. Age

Pie chart showing the age group most of our participants belonged to. Majority (78.1%) of them belonged to the age category 19-29. The remainder of them were either below 18 or above 30.

2. Highest Education Qualification

Pie chart showing the educational qualification of our respondents. 44.1% of them had a Bachelor’s degree and 38.3% of them had a Master’s degree. The remainder had completed grade 12 or had a PhD.

WHAT WAS THEIR OPINION ON FAME?

3. Would you like to be famous one day?

24.6% of them responded ‘Yes’; 30.1% responded ‘No’ and 45.3% responded ‘Maybe’.

In the survey we conducted, out of 415 respondents, 54.7% of people gave definitive responses to the question, with 125 people replying in the negative and 102 in the affirmative, leaving 188 people undecided or open to the idea of fame. Perhaps, there is something to be said about the role of society and popular culture in conditioning children to grow up to believe in the accessibility of stardom?

Its consequences however are not all negative. New York psychologist Abby Aronowitz is of the opinion that "If you idolize someone for their accomplishments, and those accomplishments spurn you on to make gains in your own life, then admiring a celebrity can have a positive influence on your ambition, or even your mental health," says Aronowitz.[2]

4. “Fame is a dangerous thing.” Agree or Disagree?

61.6% of the respondents answered in the affirmative; 13.5% in the negative and 24.9% were undecided.

According to Aronowitz, "prior to Marilyn Monroe, a star's life was hidden from the public. But now, instead of a glossy ideal, we see celebrity's ugly messes, including their drug and alcohol abuse, which, for many who admire these people, translates into a very dangerous message." This explains why the majority of respondents (255 people) were in agreement to the idea that fame isn’t a healthy thing.

5. How often do you engage with tabloid news stories?

44.8% of the respondents occasionally engaged with tabloid news; 29.9% did not engage with such stories often; 23.1% did not engage with tabloid news.

This was an interesting question for us to ask, that yielded equally interesting answers. In our previous article, we explained how news publications and big corporations stand to benefit from the production of celebrity news and the prevalence of celebrity culture. With 186 people occasionally engaging with tabloids, this proves the inescapable nature of tabloid media, even though majority people are not as obsessed with famous persons as you would think.

HOW DID THEY RESPOND TO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS?

Next we created some hypothetical situations to make sense of what the extent of admiration for society’s most influential figures could mean from an ethical perspective.

8. SITUATION A

30% of the participants said they’d publicly shame and unfollow the celebrity; 27% said they would simply unfollow; 12% said they’d educate them and unfollow; 15% said they’d ignore while the remaining 16% respondents said they’d take a different ap… — 30% of the participants said they’d publicly shame and unfollow the celebrity; 27% said they would simply unfollow; 12% said they’d educate them and unfollow; 15% said they’d ignore while the remaining 16% respondents said they’d take a different approach.

There were two kinds of responses for Situation A that stood out: i) Responses like, “Celebrities are allowed to have their own opinion” and ii) “I don’t care what celebrities think”.

The problematic element here is only this: It is celebrities who position themselves as role models and their audience that maintains their relevance. It is better to be well-informed and cognizant of one’s extraordinary ability to influence society. Nonetheless, it can be argued that individuals ought to think for themselves and ultimately make the right decisions as opposed to blindly following the people they admire.

9. SITUATION B

77% of the respondents said they’d hold them accountable and believe the survivors. 9% responded they’d separate the art from the artist and 14% said they’d take a different approach.

When presented with a situation of believing survivors over the accused no matter how influential, an overwhelming majority chose to believe survivors i.e. 323 people. The counter arguments to this scenario were mostly people who chose to wait till further investigation or believed accusations to not always be true.

But it is also important to address the 9% that chose to separate the art from the artist, and how in doing so, failed to consider that “The entertainment industry is always interested in conflating the art and the artist as long as it helps sell movie tickets. Film is an art, but it is also a business, and the entertainment industry, (and by extension the art) has been shaped by such abuses of power. Any inclination for reprehensible behavior is built right into the mythos of the artistic genius — a designation rarely extended to women. It is what the historian Martin Jay calls “the aesthetic alibi”: The art excuses the crime. Mr. Jay writes that in the 19th century, artistic genius “was often construed as unbound by non aesthetic considerations — cognitive, ethical, or whatever.” And the ethical lapses afforded to artists have often concerned the mistreatment of women. Thus, instead of considering the possibility of separating the art from the artist, it’s instructive to think of the impossibility of separating the artist from his industry.” [4]

POPULARITY

Lastly we looked into who were the names that earned favour with our audience and who in contempt.

10. Who is your favourite celebrity? Why?

38% of the participants’ favourite celebrities were from Bollywood, 19% from Hollywood, 7% from sports, 6% from politics, 7% were activists and 23% from other categories like music, influencers, etc.

Honourable mentions were given to Emma Watson, Jameela Jamil, and Keanu Reeves from Hollywood. From Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone were the most popular responses, for their charm and good looks. Taapsee Pannu and Swara Bhasker came in a close second for their political awareness and advocacy for social causes. K-Pop boy band BTS was among the other most popular answers and American Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez the most popular politician.

11. Who is one celebrity you despise? Why?

Based on the respondents’ choices, 62% of the most unpopular celebrities belonged to Bollywood, 9% in Hollywood, 8% in politics, 1% in sports and the remaining 20% belonged to various other categories.

This question produced some compelling information. Out of 50 Bollywood personas the audience disliked the most, 30 votes went to Salman Khan on account of misogyny, 13 to Priyanka Chopra for performative activism and 9 to Kangana Ranaut for her political views.

Conclusion

Although celebrity culture is an inextricable part of Indian society, owing to the dominance of social media, the air of mystery surrounding famous personalities is no longer as it used to be. Some degree of this fading charm can even be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. Like the New York Times wrote, “The pandemic has disrupted relations among the masses, the elites and the celebrities who liaise between them.” [3]

Majority of people are in a love-hate relationship with their celebrity idols. Kevin Spacey was one such response among others where people who once admired celebrities for their art or good looks lost their good opinion of them for their problematic behaviour. There was a lot of resentment to be found in the survey’s response towards celebrities who didn’t care enough for society or that acted inappropriately, just like how the most popular figures were those who acknowledged their influential role in society and acted responsibly.

This micro survey marked a subtle shift in the public mindset. Although it might be too early to count on the disruption of cultural hegemony as it is, it is nonetheless a promising change in that direction.