The power of social media
Today, Hollywood and Bollywood superstar, Priyanka Chopra jetted to Sharjah for the ninth edition of the International Government Communication Forum. Speaking on opening day, the actress discussed the power of social media.
The actress spoke at a panel titled ‘Why Does the Screen Have so Much Impact on Public Opinion?’ addressing the power that visual media has over cultural curiosity. Seeing as how the actress is both a Hollywood and Bollywood star and also a UNICEF ambassador, she was the best option for the talk.
“I enjoy using my socials a lot and sharing my experiences. There’s so much power to social media. I’ve been an ambassador for Unicef for a while and we [social media influencers] become a means to an end,” said Priyanka.
“I visited the refugees, and when I travel to places like that and when I write individual stories of children and families, there is so much media coverage that comes to that. It gives the story a life. We are a conduit for people who don’t have a voice. That’s where the responsibility of social media influencers come in.”
“Public people have always been using their platform to speak about peace, and have been imploring governments to give it to us. What we [celebrities] have that is different from the public is a privileged platform,” she said, adding: “But I’ve worked hard to be where I am.”
Concluding her talk at the forum, Priyanka touched upon the importance of diversity and equality in the entertainment industry. She said: “I was just someone who wanted to be the best at everything I was doing. When I first started working in India, my quest was for equality for women in the film industry because I felt women were often marginalised. So I chose roles that were main characters. And when I started working outside of India, I saw the dire need of diversity. I played Holi on [the] Jimmy Fallon [show] and people responded well saying: ‘Oh, my god, Holi sounds like a great festival.’”
