Star Power Pandemics and Politics The Role of Cultural Elites PDF

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University of South Florida

Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Graduate School

September 2018

Star Power, Pandemics, and Politics: The Role of Cultural Elites in Global Health Security Holly Lynne Swayne University of South Florida, [email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Mass Communication Commons, Political Science Commons, and the Public Health Commons Scholar Commons Citation Swayne, Holly Lynne, "Star Power, Pandemics, and Politics: The Role of Cultural Elites in Global Health Security" (2018). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7581

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Star Power, Pandemics, and Politics The Role of Cultural Elites in Global Health Security

by

Holly Lynne Swayne

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies University of South Florida

Major Professor: M. Scott Solomon, Ph.D. Linda Whiteford, Ph.D. Janna Merrick, Ph.D. Peter N. Funke, Ph.D.

Date of Approval March 30, 2018

Keywords: global health, celebrity, activism, culture studies, mass media, power, influence. Copyright © 2018, Holly Lynne Swayne

Dedication

To my mom, whose strength has inspired and saved me in ways I cannot begin to describe. To my dad, who taught me by example about grace and compassion, and always believed in the beauty of my dreams. To my brother, who never gave up on me, and is always one of my most enthusiastic supporters. And finally, to my niece, may she find her own passion in life as she grows into the greatness she is meant for.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my Major Professor, Dr. Scott Solomon, for being with me since my first day in the Ph.D. program as my tireless mentor, advocate, and teaching inspiration. You always pushed me to deliver my best, balancing expectations with compassion as I navigated not only the challenges of a dissertation, but the challenges of an unexpected life unfolding before me. To the rest of my committee, Dr. Linda Whiteford, Dr. Janna Merrick, and Dr. Peter Funke, my sincerest gratitude for your guidance, dedication, and flexibility, and for the invaluable insight you’ve offered along the way. Dr. Lois LaCivita Nixon, thank you for being an inspirational woman and mentor, showing me the multiple dimensions of the human experience and the impact of speaking truth to power. To the staff of the Global Citizens Project, past and present, you have celebrated my milestones with the enthusiasm of true friends. To the acting community that welcomed me with open arms, thank you for your unique insight into the entertainment industry, and for offering me an unexpected home for my own creative inclinations. And finally, Jason, thank you for sharing this journey with me. I’m immeasurably grateful for all the love and support through the years from my family, friends, mentors, and wise strangers. It takes a village, and I thank you all for being part of mine.

Table of Contents

List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................iii List of Figures.................................................................................................................................. v Abstract........................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1 - Acting Activists: Performing for Global Health .......................................................... 1 Background.......................................................................................................................... 1 Significance ......................................................................................................................... 6 Research Question and Hypothesis ..................................................................................... 8 Key Terms and Definitions ................................................................................................. 9 Methodological Considerations and Limitations............................................................... 12 The Phenomenally Famous ............................................................................................... 15 Chapter 2 - Star Power: Evaluating the Discussion....................................................................... 17 Categories of Celebrity ...................................................................................................... 18 Celebrities as Activists ...................................................................................................... 24 The Media Mirror: Perceptions and Presentation .............................................................. 28 Legitimate Acting .............................................................................................................. 34 Powerful Personas ............................................................................................................. 42 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 59 Chapter 3 – A Charitable Constellation: Measuring Effectiveness ............................................... 61 The Case for Stars ............................................................................................................ 62 A Healthy Perspective ...................................................................................................... 69 Mediated Spaces ............................................................................................................... 72 Constructing Meaning ...................................................................................................... 76 Following Fame ................................................................................................................ 79 Interviews ......................................................................................................................... 80 What’s Health Got to Do with It? .................................................................................... 83 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 84 Chapter 4 – The Famous Five: Celebrity Involvement in Global Health Initiatives .................... 87 Descriptive Characteristics of Study Population .............................................................. 89 CIQ 1: Tom Cruise ........................................................................................................... 92 CIQ 2: Robert Downey, Jr. ............................................................................................... 97

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CIQ 3: Bradley Cooper ................................................................................................... 101 CIQ 4: Leonardo DiCaprio ............................................................................................. 106 CIQ 5: Matt Damon ........................................................................................................ 113 Global Health Matters ..................................................................................................... 121 Discursive Development ................................................................................................ 132 The Social Celebrity ....................................................................................................... 135 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 139 Chapter 5 – Public Displays of Attention: Representations of Celebrity Activism .................... 143 Overview ........................................................................................................................ 144 Findings in Fame ............................................................................................................ 146 Seeing Stars .................................................................................................................... 151 Redefining Roles ............................................................................................................ 153 Looking to the Future ..................................................................................................... 155 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 156 References .................................................................................................................................. 159 Appendices ................................................................................................................................. 179 Appendix A – Factors of Influence ................................................................................ 180 Appendix B – News Readership and Circulation ............................................................ 181 Appendix C – Institutional Review Board Documents .................................................. 185 Informed Consent to Participate in Research ..................................................... 187 Interview Questions for Dissertation Research – SUBJECTS: CULTURAL ELITES AND/OR REPRESENTATIVES ................................................... 191 Interview Questions for Dissertation Research – SUBJECTS: ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS ENGAGED IN GLOBAL HEALTH CAUSES ....................................................................................................... 193 Appendix D – Celebrity Causes ..................................................................................... 191 Appendix E – Celebrity Publicity and Activism ............................................................ 195 Publicity for Tom Cruise .................................................................................... 195 GH Activism Details (Tom Cruise) .................................................................... 196 GH Activism Details (Robert Downey, Jr.) ....................................................... 197 Publicity for Bradley Cooper .............................................................................. 198 GH Activism Details (Bradley Cooper) ............................................................. 199 Publicity Leonardo DiCaprio ............................................................................. 200 GH Activism Details (Leonardo DiCaprio) ....................................................... 201 Publicity for Matt Damon ................................................................................... 202 Involvement Type (Matt Damon) ....................................................................... 203 GH Activism Details (Matt Damon .................................................................... 204 Appendix F – Global Health Issue Details ..................................................................... 207 Appendix G – Social Media Presence ............................................................................ 210 About the Author ............................................................................................................... End Page

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List of Tables

Table 3.1:

Celebrity Scores..................................................................................................... 67

Table 3.2:

Celebrity Influence Quotient ................................................................................. 67

Table 3.3:

Distribution: Male vs. Female ............................................................................... 68

Table 3.4.

Distribution: By Race ............................................................................................ 69

Table 3.5:

Global Health Issues .............................................................................................. 71

Table 3.6:

Preferred News Sources ........................................................................................ 73

Table 3.7:

Adult News/Website Readership ........................................................................... 75

Table 4.1:

Organizations and Global Health-Related SDGs - TOM CRUISE (TC) .............. 93

Table 4.2:

Organizations and GH-Related SDGs - ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. (RDJ) ........... 99

Table 4.3:

Organizations and GH-Related SDGs - BRADLEY COOPER (BC) ................. 102

Table 4.4:

Organizations and GH-Related SDGs - LEONARDO DICAPRIO (LDC) ........ 108

Table 4.5:

Organizations and GH-Related SDGs - MATT DAMON (MD) ........................ 115

Table 4.6:

Global Health Estimates 2015: 20 leading causes of death, 2015 and Celebrity Involvement ......................................................................................... 130

Table 4.7:

Summary of Publicity - ALL CAUSES - 2006-2016 .......................................... 133

Table C.1:

Factors of Influence - (Celebrity Actors) ............................................................ 180

Table C.2:

Adult News/Website Readership ......................................................................... 181

Table C.3:

Top News Circulation - Adults 18+ .................................................................... 182

Table C.4:

Adult News/Website Readership ......................................................................... 183

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Table D.1:

Celebrity Causes .................................................................................................. 193

Table D.2:

Publicity for TOM CRUISE ................................................................................ 195

Table D.3:

GH Activism Details (Tom Cruise) ..................................................................... 196

Table D.4:

GH Activism Details (Robert Downey, Jr.) ........................................................ 197

Table D.5:

Publicity for BRADLEY COOPER .................................................................... 198

Table D.6:

GH Activism Details ........................................................................................... 199

Table D.7:

Publicity for LEONARDO DICAPRIO .............................................................. 200

Table D.8:

GH Activism Details - (Leonardo DiCaprio) ...................................................... 201

Table D.9:

Publicity for MATT DAMON............................................................................. 202

Table D.10:

Involvement Type - MATT DAMON ................................................................. 203

Table D.11:

GH Activism Details - (Matt Damon) ................................................................. 204

Table D.12:

Global Health Issue Details ................................................................................. 207

Table D.13:

Social Media Presence ......................................................................................... 210

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List of Figures

Figure 4.1:

Relative Level of Charitable Activity (all causes)............................................... 123

Figure 4.2:

Global Health (GH) Engagement Type – 2006-2016.......................................... 124

Figure 4.3:

Global Health Issue Mortality ............................................................................. 128

Figure 4.4:

Social Media Followers ....................................................................................... 137

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Abstract

Celebrities have historically served a variety of roles in society ranging from the inspirational to the cautionary, utilizing their platforms of visibility to promote themselves, their work, as well as their social and political causes. This study focuses on celebrities as activists engaging with global health issues, with particular attention to the form this engagement takes, the publicity it receives in the mass media, and the types of global health issues that receive the most celebrity attention. An interdisciplinary approach drawing from theories of power, social movement theory, agenda-setting, and cultural studies is used to achieve greater understanding of underlying components of the framework within which this activism exists. Guiding this research is the primary question, “How do cultural elites prominent in U.S. media impact global health security?”, where the specific subset of cultural elites examined are the most influential Hollywood celebrity actors in film. A series of secondary research questions provide insight on the multiple dimensions of celebrity influence and impact in the context of global health security. Specifically, how does celebrity activism affect global health security discourses? What “truths” are created by celebrity activism in global health? Finally, are the issues these celebrities are advocating for, the most pressing global health concerns? Utilizing a mixed-methods approach (quantitative-qualitative-quantitative), I demonstrate the most frequent forms of celebrity engagement with their affiliated global health organizations, as well as the media attention devoted to this engagement in the most prominent U.S.

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newspapers. Furthermore, I offer empirical evidence of how global health engagement of the most influential celebrities compares to the most pressing global health concerns, as expressed through an analysis of the global health issues that claim the most lives globally. Results demonstrate the most effective application of celebrity resources, and determine whether celebrities can be differently situated for greater impact in global health security overall.

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Chapter 1 Acting Activists: Performing for Global Health

“Once you achieve everything you’ve wanted, what do you do? You give back. But you have to find your own voice and use it for a cause that you feel is important.” -Edi Gathegi 1 (Gathegi, 2012) Celebrities engage the public by entertaining, educating, promoting and inspiring through the various tangible and intangible platforms made available to them. Social media has taken this reach to new levels, enabled by societies defined by their insatiable consumption of information. Omnipresent throughout the various print and electronic media, celebrities’ every action may become fair game for public consumption and scrutiny. The visibility afforded these public figures by both the literal and metaphorical lens has also allowed them the opportunity to share their political ideals and personal causes with their audiences. In this dissertation, I focus on celebrity engagement with the issue of global health, specifically. By analyzing multiple dimensions of influence celebrities have on global health secu...