Social media use, celebrity worship, social cognition, adolescents
Abstract
Social media has emerged as the primary means by which adolescents communicate, express themselves, and get information in recent years. Adolescents are increasingly worshiping celebrities at the same time. The aim of this study is to determine how adolescents’ celebrity worship and social media use are related. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from 157 Chinese adolescents aged 14 to 24. The study measured the participants’ use of social media and degree of celebrity worship using the Celebrity Worship Scale (CWS) and the Social Media Use Integration Scale (SMUIS). The results show that adolescents’ use of social media and their admiration for celebrities are strongly positively correlated. Additionally, the study discovered that older adolescents were less likely to adore celebrities and that male adolescents used social media more than female adolescents. Understanding how social media influences adolescents’ social cognition and behavior patterns is greatly aided by this study. It provides insights for parents, educators, and policymakers to help guide adolescents to use social media healthily and cultivate a rational attitude towards celebrity worship.
