Perceived Political Effects of Following Celebrity Activists on Social Media among Egyptian University Students

Abstract

A survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 360 undergraduate university students in the first semester of the academic year 2019/ 2020. The study tested the model of presumed media influence and depended on the tool of a questionnaire that included scales of celebrity involvement, motivations of following celebrities, receptivity, political knowledge, political interest, political engagement, civic engagement, and perceived political effects on the self and others. The significant variables on perceived political effects of celebrities on the self were receptivity and identification, and on others were affinity and identification. The implications of the findings are discussed.