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The podcast "Chats with Kat" discusses the improper influence of celebrities as role models in the media, relating it to the themes of George Orwell's novel 1984. The glorification of celebrities and their endorsement of unhealthy behaviors, such as substance abuse, is a concern. Studies show that youth are influenced by their role models' behavior and endorsements, leading to increased interest in alcohol and drugs. The media plays a role in creating idols and promoting doublethink, where contradictory beliefs coexist. The power and influence of celebrities should be used responsibly to protect the well-being of communities. This resembles the brainwashing tactics used by the government in 1984. It is important for individuals to recognize and resist improper influence and control their own actions and thoughts. Celebrities have the potential to corrupt culture and morals, and society should reconsider looking up to them. Welcome to Chats with Kat, the talk of all things fun and intricate. I'm Katerina Spanoff, and I and my guest, Juliana Ellerich, will be discussing a pressing issue in today's society, improper celebrity influence in the doublethink of role models in the media and how it relates to the themes of the well-known novel 1984. The main topics of discussion on this podcast will be the glorification of celebrities in the media and the poor influence imprints on today's popular culture. Should we as a culture still look up to these big-name celebrities if they are secretly corrupting morals and influencing unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles? Stay tuned to find out our response to this question. I now am happy to introduce my guest, Juliana. Thank you for having me. To start off our conversation, I would like to bring up the brainwashing of youth inspired by the media. This is something that we see in everyday life and in Orwell's book 1984. Juliana, what examples of this do you see today in 2023? Today, many celebrities have been normalizing substance abuse. One of the biggest examples I can think of is Snoop Dogg. I mean, he's very popular in the music industry. Much of his fan base is the upcoming generation. He's constantly posting about marijuana and boasts about the weed he smokes. Even actors like Mila Kunis and professional sports players like David Beckham to brand endorsements for alcohol brands. These celebrities are knowingly endorsing unhealthy substances that can cause many issues among the upcoming generations, even though they hold the title of being role models for so many people. There were studies done by the National Institute of Health that show that with alcohol endorsements, more youth out there have been inclined to or exposed to purchase alcohol. And with television, youth show increased attention to drugs and alcohol when they see their role models partaking in it on TV. Another study done by UCSD showed that acting more like influential figures makes youth feel more connected to their idols, mimicking their behavior to feel closer to them. I think it's entirely the fault of these figures for not standing up against companies. I want to be endorsed by these celebrities and idols for much of pop culture. I mean, they need to recognize the control they have over youth and act accordingly to keep communities safe. See, in that sense, the media portrays such a great example of the idea of double think. Double think is a prevalent theme of 1984, where one portrays two contrasting beliefs at the same time. An example in the book is the recurring phrases, war is peace and freedom is slavery, having two contrasting meanings in such sentences. Thus, the media creates these great idols for people to look up to if the execution of their power is corrupted to influence improper behavior. Exactly. The media portrays some celebrities as these important godlike humans, while some, I mean not all, they're abusing their power in poor ways. The media will idolize celebrities throughout pop culture and in turn create great influence over the upcoming generations of youth. And I can see a resemblance to the party's brainwashing in 1984. Oral wrote about how the government taught children from birth to think and act a certain way, making them guinea pigs for the party. So, for example, Julia describes how from youth, the party and Big Brother teach them to go about a certain way on their sex lives, saying, I've been to school too, dear. Sex talks once a month for the over 16s. They rub it into you for years. I dare say it works in a lot of cases. This is the influence of idol figures that occurs in today's society. I agree in that sense. Social media and influential figures do similar brainwashing, whether it is intentional or not. The repetition of propaganda on social media and the algorithm really make an imprint of these celebrities on the brains of today's society. It's our duty to recognize when people have improper influence on our lives and learn how to control our actions and thoughts. On that note, thank you for your input and thank you for being on my show. That was a great conversation. Of course. Thank you for featuring me. In conclusion, George Orwell's 1984 was a great foreshadowing over the control of our minds and thoughts. Celebrities worldwide have abused their power and standing in society to influence porn and unhealthy behavior, leaving a young impressionable community to a corrupt culture of immoral temptation and gluttony. While it may be in a more discreet manner, instead of the government having totalitarian control, celebrities have such influence over the population's behavior and mindset. More so, they influence this poor behavior, knowing that it is immoral and know that they are looked up to with idols relating to double things. As we see this shift in control, we begin to wonder, should we as a society still look up to these celebrities if they are actively harming the morals of pop culture? Thank you for listening to this episode of Chats with Kat.