Given the upcoming presidential election in November, celebrities seem to be endorsing candidates left and right.

Mark Harvey, a professor at the University of Saint Mary, said in an NPR interview that celebrities have used their social status to influence public opinion since the 1920s; namely, the first significant ones include singer Al Jolson, baseball legend Babe Ruth and major star Frank Sinatra. 

Senior Abbie Karel, who plans to vote in this year’s election, said it’s important to not blindly follow celebrity endorsements. 

“In the end, it is up to the voter to have their own ideals and perspectives to make the best vote for themselves,” Karel said. “Celebrities can influence people to register, but it is up to the individual to do their own research and make an educated decision.” 

According to a recent study by Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, younger generations are more inclined to vote when they feel that it is a woke or trendy thing to do.

A New York Times article said the media, which has been one of the greatest factors in defining a young voter’s political ideologies, has become more polarized since the rise of the internet.

Social Justice Pathway history and U.S. government teacher Caitlin Drewes said it seems as if there are two sets of political truths today since some news outlets lean more conversative like Fox News, while others that used to be considered mainstream are now considered left, like The New York Times. 

Drews also said propaganda exists on both sides of the political spectrum. She talks about how the younger generations due to their overconsumption of media online might fall victim to misinformation. Since celebrity news is spread through the media as well, younger generations are more influenced by their endorsements as opposed to older generations.   

Several highly regarded celebrities have already endorsed candidates for the upcoming presidential election. Celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, Billie Eilish, George Clooney, and Oprah Winfrey are just some of the many celebrities who support Kamala Harris. Others such as Elon Musk, Kanye West, and Brittany Mahomes have endorsed Donald Trump. 

Sophomore Owais Valliani, a Kanye West fan, said he thinks celebrities endorsing political figures is equivalent to a peer sharing their political views.

“In my opinion celebrities endorsing political figures is irrelevant in determining my opinion,” Villiani said. “I can like Kanye’s music without agreeing with his personal politics.”

Drewes said perhaps the most influential endorsement of this election was Taylor Swift’s support for Kamala Harris, with Forbes reporting nearly 406,000 people clicking on vote.gove to register after Swift posted the link on her instagram. 

“I think Taylor Swift endsoring Harris is a different beast,” Drewes said. “Taylor Swift has kind of eclipsed the idea of celebrity. She’s in this God status that is so overwhelming around the world. I’m curious to see how many voters started voting because of Swift. She’s the first one I’ve seen where I’m like, ‘Actually, she might have an impact of some kind.’” 

Sophomore Neva Bapna, a Taylor Swift fan, said she supported Swift’s endorsement to increase voter turnout, especially among non-affiliated voters. 

“I think the fact that Taylor Swift endorsed Harris was really meaningful, and I’m glad she did, because it could really sway Independents in her audience,” Bapna said. “I support this specific endorsement completely.” 

While Trump’s endorsements may not quite match the level of Taylor Swift, the Wall Street Journal reported Musk said he plans to commit $45 million a month to a political action company backing Trump’s campaign. Drewes said the support of Musk may be a minor asset to the former president’s campaign.

“His endorsement of Trump has probably led other Silicon Valley tech world folks to go that direction also,” Drewes said. “Is that going to sway the election? I don’t think so.”

In the broader scope of the election, Drewes said the biggest impact celebrities can make is increasing voter turnout. 

 “I think the thing that is most important that celebrities can do is just ask people to get out the vote,” Drewes said. “Historically, endorsements haven’t done a huge amount, even when they’ve been huge stars … I think the message of ‘Get out and vote, use your voice,’ is really important because they do have access to so many millions of people.”