Training new stars in the codes of notoriety, a societal emergency

For some time now, the media have been reporting on several cases involving young figures in Senegalese entertainment, some of which are linked to the consumption of narcotics. These episodes fuel comments, judgments, incomprehension, disappointment and sometimes mockery. However, an essential question remains largely absent from the debate: who really prepares our new celebrities for the responsibilities that accompany their notoriety?

Because behind each publicized scandal there is perhaps a deeper question: have we built a system capable of supporting these young talents when they go, sometimes overnight, from anonymity to influence?

Celebrity accessible like never before

Never in the history of mankind has it been so easy to become famous.

A viral video, a notable role in a hit series, a trend on TikTok, a buzz on Instagram, Snap, Facebook, or a notable appearance on social networks can transform a stranger into a public figure in the space of a few weeks.

This democratization of visibility is progress. It allows young people from all backgrounds to reveal their talent, tell their stories and find their place in the public space.

But this digital and cultural revolution raises a fundamental question: are we really preparing these new celebrities for the responsibilities that accompany their notoriety?

When influence becomes social power

Fame is not just a reward. It is also a responsibility. When a personality attracts hundreds of thousands of subscribers or captivates millions of viewers every week, they exert an influence that goes well beyond the scope of entertainment. It shapes behavior, inspires aspirations, influences the ways of speaking, dressing, consuming and sometimes even thinking.

Whether they like it or not, actors, influencers, comedians, singers and content creators have become references for some young people.

However, many access this position without any particular support. They are taught to attract attention, to develop their audience and sometimes to monetize their image. But who teaches them to manage media pressure? Who prepares them for the permanent exhibition? Who helps them understand the impact of their behavior on those who look to them as role models?

A youth in search of benchmarks

This question is all the more important as our societies are going through a profound transformation of transmission mechanisms.

The family, school, religious institutions and community structures naturally continue to play an essential role. But they are no longer the only sources of influence.

Today, a significant part of young people’s cultural, social and behavioral benchmarks are also built through screens.

Entertainment personalities thus occupy a new place in the formation of collective imaginations. Their successes make people dream and their choices inspire. Likewise, their habits are observed. Their way of life sometimes becomes an ideal to achieve. From then on, their influence can no longer be considered trivial.

The trivialization of risky behavior

Far from any desire to stigmatize, it is necessary to address a worrying reality.

When certain risky behaviors are regularly visible in the media space, they can gradually be perceived as normal, or even rewarding.

The consumption of narcotics, the glorification of easy money, excesses of all kinds, hyperconsumption or even certain forms of verbal violence can end up appearing as attributes of success or freedom.

Of course, no artist or influencer can be held solely responsible for the individual choices of their audience.

But it would be just as naive to deny the power of influence that notoriety confers today. When a young person is looking for his place in society, he is particularly sensitive to the models offered to him. It is precisely for this reason that the question of supporting new celebrities deserves to be asked seriously.

A responsibility that goes beyond individuals

The reflection should not be limited to the artists or influencers themselves. It concerns an entire ecosystem: producers, digital platforms, media, agencies, advertisers, production houses, broadcasters and commercial partners.

In the business world, Corporate Social Responsibility is based on a simple idea: every organization must assume the consequences of its activity on society.

Why wouldn’t this logic apply to the cultural industries and the attention economy? These don’t just produce content. They also produce representations, aspirations and models of success. As such, they exert considerable societal influence.

Towards a social responsibility of cultural industries

The time has perhaps come to think about a real social responsibility of the cultural and creative industries.

Supporting emerging talents should not be considered as an option but as an investment.

Mentoring programs, mental health awareness, addiction prevention, notoriety management, media education and ethics of influence could be integrated into the paths of young artists and creators.

The objective, of course, would not be to control them or limit their freedom.

On the contrary, it would be a question of giving them the necessary tools to exercise their influence with lucidity, discernment and responsibility.

Construire un soft power qui élève 

The issue goes far beyond entertainment.

Artists, actors, influencers and content creators are today participating in the construction of the cultural soft power of Senegal and the African continent. They tell the world who we are. But they also tell our youth what deserves to be admired, pursued or reproduced.

Each society chooses, consciously or not, the figures it puts forward. Each society transmits through them a certain vision of success.

The question is therefore not only cultural or economic. It is deeply educational.

Visible talents or sustainably built talents?

Behind every famous personality are thousands of young people who observe, imitate, dream and build their own vision of success.

Visibility can be acquired in just a few clicks. Responsibility can be learned.

At a time when social networks are producing celebrities faster than our institutions are building benchmarks, we must collectively question the models that we offer to our youth.

Do we want talents that are simply visible or talents that are sustainably built?

Do we want figures followed for their current popularity or personalities capable of inspiring, elevating and transmitting?

It no longer needs to be demonstrated that celebrity has become a powerful lever of soft power; therefore, it is appropriate to recognize that it is also accompanied by social responsibility.

Training new stars in the codes of notoriety is not a constraint. It is an investment in the quality of our collective models, in the health of our public debate and in the future of young people who are still looking for their compasses.