The Impact of Celebrity Culture on Social Media Engagement, Lifestyle Behaviours, and Academic Interference among Health Sciences Undergraduates at a Private Sri Lankan University

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.