Abstract:
Background: Celebrity culture, amplified through social media platforms, has the potential to
shape young adults’ fashion choices, body image perceptions, career aspirations, and social
interactions. Despite its pervasive influence globally, there is a paucity of empirical research
exploring how these dynamics operate within Sri Lankan higher-education context.
Objective: To evaluate the extent to which celebrity culture affects social media engagement,
lifestyle behaviours, and academic interference among undergraduates
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was administered to a randomly selected 87
students. The mean±SD age of the participants was 20.4±1.2 years. Of the sample 62% were
females. Participants completed a pre-tested and validated self-administered questionnaire that
assessed levels of celebrity attraction, perceived influence (categorised as positive, negative,
mixed, or neutral), frequency of social media usage, degree of academic interference, and specific
lifestyle behaviours modelled on celebrities (including fashion, hairstyles, brand adoption, and
participation in social media challenges). Data were analysed descriptively using SPSS version
28.0.
Results: The findings revealed that the majority of students experienced mixed positive (57.5%)
and negative (42.5%) influences from celebrities, while 28.7% reported predominantly positive
effects, 2.3% predominantly negative effects, and 11.5% neutral impact. Celebrity attraction
varied, with 16.1% indicating high attraction, 33.3% moderate attraction, 27.6% low attraction,
and 22.9% no attraction. Nearly nine in ten students engaged with celebrity content ‘quite often’
or ‘very often’, and 33.3% acknowledged moderate academic interference attributable to celebrity-
related social media usage, with 18.4% reported minor interference and 48.3% reported no
interference. Lifestyle behaviours influenced by celebrities included the adoption of endorsed
brands (44.8%), participation in social media challenges (36.8%), imitation of fashion styles
(24.1%), and adoption of celebrity hairstyles (21.8%).
Conclusion: Celebrity culture exerts a substantial influence on Sri Lankan health sciences
undergraduates’ social media engagement and lifestyle choices, and approximately one-third of
students report moderate level of academic interference. Incorporating media literacy and
critical-thinking modules into university curricula may equip students to critically evaluate and
navigate celebrity-driven content, thereby reducing potential negative impacts on academic
performance and wellbeing.
