TPO-46 - Independent Writing Task Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?The opinions of celebrities, such as famous entertainers and athletes, are more important to younger people than they are to older people.Use specific reasons and exam

The transition period from a child to an adult is a critical interval in every individual’s life. Based on the criteria of defining success and happiness, young adults usually consider celebrities as successful role models. I personally believe that due to many reasons such as being more involved in the social media, saturated with the fun, luxurious lifestyle of famous people and the appealing vision of fame and wealth, in comparison to the older people, youngsters usually pay more attention to celebrities. The following article will further elaborate this opinion based on my personal perspective and experiences.
First, despite older people, who have reached stability and independence to some extent, youngsters usually seek role models to achieve their ambitions of a cheerful favorable life. Many young people believe that in order to be successful they should have a guide through their journey of life. Therefore, since TV or social media only portrays the happy side of the lifestyle of famous people, such as entertainers and athletes, younger people, unconsciously, come to the belief that these people are successful and make significant contributions to the society, thus they can be perfect role models as well. For instance, as I was growing up in 1990’s, Michael Jackson, the king of pop music, was an idol or hero for many young people. Many youngsters and adolescents, even in my country Iran, were trying to imitate his way of dressing, acting and particularly dancing. However, this behavior was absurd from the adult’s point of view, especially parents. A decade later, when was facing child abuse charges, many young people were still worshiping him and could not believe any of those assertions against him. This indeed is due to the blind love and respect toward famous people in the society, which makes them supernatural heroes for their mostly young fans.
Furthermore, the considerable impact of famous people on the lives of young adults, in fact, originates from different preferences in defining an influential, important character from the youngster’s perspective in comparison to the older generations. For younger people, wealth, welfare, and fame could be decisive key factors. Back to the case of the king of pop, living in Neverland Valley, having personal airplanes and such things were a lifetime dream for many young fans and a demonstration of a happy successful life that everyone envies.
Even when Michael Jackson opened up his childhood obsessions in a documentary about his life, many could not believe how devastated he was in his personal life, because this vision was not compatible with people’s view of a person having this much wealth and welfare. In fact, worshiping a famous person such as M.J. was even far beyond this, that ludicrous rumor about the immortality of this pop star began to spread among his fans. Thus, in my opinion, the way younger people define an important person is an essential factor, which makes them consider famous people as role models or even heroes.
By way of conclusion, based on the arguments explored above and my personal experience, I believe that younger people, in comparison to the older people, pay more attention to famous people and usually consider them as important influential people in the society and their lives.