Nowadays, young people admire media and sports stars though they often do not set a good example. Do you think this is a positive or negative development? v.1

In the modern society, youngsters often look up to well-known entertainers and athletes. Many people believe that these celebrities are not good role models for young individuals. Thus, they are concerned about the influence of such admiration. From my perspective, whether that idolisation is beneficial or detrimental depends merely on the young generation’s attitudes. On the one hand, youngsters’ adoration towards celebrities can bring about several positive effects to themselves. First of all, individuals who are selective will filter out all the negative characteristics and only opt for good traits in famous figures to emulate. This consciousness ensures that adolescents will not blindly reduplicate improper actions from celebrities. For example, even though singer Michael Jackson was involved in several allegations, his talent, perseverance and work ethic still inspire many youngsters around the world. Secondly, teenagers can also take valuable lessons from their idols’ mistakes. Since celebrities’ actions are often publicized, adolescents have the opportunities to observe various examples of misconducts and learn from them. For instance, upon hearing the doping accusation of Louis Armstrong, many of the biker’s fans realize that there is no shortcut which leads to success and honesty should be of paramount importance. On the second hand, idolizing entertainers and sportsmen may result in adverse effects. To begin with, since most adolescents are malleable, bad examples from celebrities can develop moral issues in them. Many teenagers who look up to Hollywood figures such as Paris Hilton believe that they should pursue a glamorous, material life with parties and nightclubs. Other celebrities like Kim Kardashian present a wrong message to the young generation, suggesting that using scandals and PR stunts are the most effective methods to gain attention and be successful. Furthermore, there are considered to be better role models for the young to hold in high regards, such as activists or philanthropists. However, the popularity of celebrities may sway teenagers’ interest away from these individuals. To be more specific, many teenagers do not care much about politics and other social issues since their attention is solely devoted to entertaining figures. All things considered, I believe that the adoration which youngsters dedicate to media and sports stars have both strengths and weaknesses. While this admiration allows youngsters to emulate celebrities’ good traits and draw a lesson from their mishaps, it also develops moral issues in them and takes the spotlight away from the more deserving role models.