From Pins to Gowns: Celebrities Influencing Causes & The Narrative
Sunday night marked the start of awards season — The 75th Golden Globes! The Globes are seen as a great precursor to predicting the Oscars, but this year the attention was on the controversial times in Hollywood. Those controversies were addressed on the red carpet, in the outfits with everyone wearing black for #TimesUp, the speeches and the show itself.
More and more celebrities have been using social media to be more vocal about both political and societal issues. We’re not just seeing actors as artists playing a character, but using their fame to voice opinions and they are more influential than ever. We’re used to seeing them promote brands and causes in commercials, magazine ads, etc., but now we are learning and connecting with them more through their social media presence.
Celebrities are influencers, even more so now that they’re not afraid to express themselves and create their own social media content. We still may not relate to them nearly as much as we do with digital influencers, but we do follow and listen to them.
Below are a few actors’ Twitter accounts with stats from the Julius platform and a dive into how they use their social voice.
Tom Hanks — Best Actor Nominee, Motion Picture, Drama for The Post
Twitter Reach: 15M
Engagement: 20.1K
https://twitter.com/tomhanks
Tom Hanks’s social presence is one of the most amusing. The widely-loved actor keeps his feed quirky — often posting images of lost objects such as gloves, shoes, hats, and umbrellas, with his commentary. Each post ends with his signature — “Hanx.” It’s simple, wholesome content with a touch of fun that you’d expect from the actor. His followers can always expect fun, genuine content from the actor.
Jessica Chastain — Best Actress Nominee, Motion Picture, Drama for Molly’s Game
Twitter Reach: 660.1K
Engagement: 3.7K
https://twitter.com/jes_chastain
Jessica Chastain’s feed is much more political, as she focuses on women’s rights, equality, and female empowerment. She connects with her fans through her personal beliefs as well as her work — often asking them to share their opinions or photos of themselves seeing her latest films and to support fellow female artists. Her powerful content helped shape her into a driving force for the latest women’s empowerment movement, and gives her followers something deep to connect to.
Reese Witherspoon — Best Actress Nominee, Limited Series or Television Movie for Big Little Lies; Winner, Best Limited Series for Big Little Lies
Twitter Reach: 2.1M
Engagement: 2.8K
https://twitter.com/RWitherspoon
Reese Witherspoon has also used her social media platforms as a way to voice equality and female empowerment. She leads a production company and focus on female-driven stories, such as the TV series she was nominated for. Her Southern charm on social media is also fun and relatable (Draper James, y’all), no wonder she has over 2M followers!
Sterling K. Brown — Winner, Best Actor, Television Series, Drama for This is Us
Twitter Reach: 196.5K
Engagement: 3K
https://twitter.com/SterlingKBrown
Sterling K. Brown has made award show history as the first black actor to win in this category. On social media, he posts regularly about his show This Is Us, and organizations he supports. One of the reasons This Is Us became so popular is how well it connects with its viewers, and Sterling does an amazing job of staying connected and sharing the love with his fans on Twitter.
Kyle MacLachlan — Best Actor Nominee, Limited Series or Television Movie for Twin Peaks
Twitter Reach: 189K
Engagement: 1.3K
https://twitter.com/Kyle_MacLachlan
Nostalgia and revivals have been huge in the entertainment industry, and helped bring back the cult fave Twin Peaks. Kyle MacLachlan connects with his followers on social media who have just discovered the show, or have been fans before tweeting was the craze. He also has his own wine company, which he often posts about and shares with fellow wine fans. Nostalgia and wine, definitely an easy way to connect to your fave celeb!
Issa Rae — Best Actress Nominee, Television Series, Comedy for Insecure
Twitter Reach: 866.1K
Engagement: 13K
https://twitter.com/IssaRae
Issa Rae has made herself a household name in the last year. She’s not only the creative force for Insecure, but she’s also the new face of CoverGirl. She uses her platform to connect with younger women and inspire them to stay strong and keep working towards their dreams. The voice she has built on social media helped her build a bigger fan base and create awareness for her show. She is a perfect fit for CoverGirl’s new message — I Am What I Make Up.
