Situational and personal determinants of adolescents’ attitudes toward online celebrity bashing.

Abstract

Celebrities regularly become the victims of online bashing and criticism by the audience, a phenomenon known as celebrity bashing. Part of the reason why audience members are so aggressive toward famous people is that they consider this an acceptable and even entertaining behavior. However, there is limited knowledge on how these acceptable attitudes are formed. Based on the general aggression model (GAM), this study tested the extent to which attitudes toward celebrity bashing are formed based on situational (exposure to bashing) and personal (trait moral disengagement and empathy) factors and the interaction between them. The results of an online survey conducted among adolescents (N = 159) indicated that a combination of personal and situational factors determines the attitudes toward celebrity bashing. In particular, regular exposure to bashing and higher scores on moral disengagement were related to more acceptable attitudes, whereas cognitive empathy was associated with less acceptable attitudes. Moreover, the interaction effect between exposure and cognitive empathy suggests an underlying mainstreaming effect, with the effect of empathy disappearing when exposure increases among adolescent audiences. Public Policy Relevance StatementAdolescents are increasingly exposed to cases of online celebrity bashing. Gaining more knowledge on their attitudes toward this practice and the individual determinants of these attitudes can help further understanding of how this practice can impact their thoughts and future behaviors in a celebrity context, as well as in other contexts, such as cyberbullying. These insights can inspire intervention and prevention initiatives and determine the role of personal characteristics in these initiatives.

Celebrity appearance-shaming: Innocent bashing forms or reconfirming gender norms? A study into the explanations of adolescents’ celebrity appearance-shaming intentions

“…This might have to do with the fact that descriptive norms are quite salient in the context of celebrity appearance-shaming. Previous research has indicated that one of the celebrity bashing behaviors that adolescents are most often exposed to is the sharing of negative and embarrassing celebrity content by others (Ouvrein et al, 2023). As adolescents spend quite some time scrolling on social media and observing what others are doing online, such behaviors provide good insights into the celebrity appearance-shaming behaviors of people in their immediate environment (Bullo & Schulz, 2022).…”

“…By making these campaigns entertaining and spreading them on social media, marketers can ensure that adolescents encounter and pay attention to them. Moreover, it is advisable to avoid sexist ideas or portraits with a strong focus on the physical and sexual appearance of women in campaigns, as these might contribute to the maintenance of these ideas and steer celebrity appearance-shaming behavior further online, especially among adolescents, because they are exposed to this kind of content on a regular basis (Ouvrein et al, 2023).…”

“…Adolescents between 14 and 18 years old could participate in the study, as this is the age at which celebrity interest peaks and adolescents massively follow celebrities on social media (Chia & Poo, 2009). Recent findings indicate that adolescents are exposed to cases of celebrity bashing every two weeks (Ouvrein et al, 2023). This high exposure might make adolescents more likely to experiment with this kind of behavior (Ouvrein et al, 2023).…”

“…Recent findings indicate that adolescents are exposed to cases of celebrity bashing every two weeks (Ouvrein et al, 2023). This high exposure might make adolescents more likely to experiment with this kind of behavior (Ouvrein et al, 2023).…”