In light of the current political climate, celebrities have been taking to social media as a platform for political discourse, rather than just light-hearted sharing.  

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The most recent presidential election cycle was not just controversial and dividing; it also inspired political action across the country.  Twitter became a key tool for those who wanted a larger audience to speak out against both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The popularity of Twitter threads that revealed social injustices and provided easily-accessible information was heightened, as across America, many were eager to share their voices amidst the controversy.

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Since the election cycle, Twitter feeds have been an almost-constant political discussion, and celebrities are no exception to this phenomenon.  Rather than a place to share personal thoughts or self-promote, social media--especially Twitter in particular--has become a tool that celebrities are instead using for political advocacy.  Twitter’s very design lends itself easily to this use, as those with a large follower base can reach a broad audience in a concise, straight-forward, easy-to-read fashion.  

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Shailene Woodley has always been a celebrity willing to speak her mind about her political beliefs. The “Divergent” star drew particular attention when she was arrested last year at a protest for the Dakota Pipeline.  Her tendency toward political advocacy was not discouraged by this arrest, however, as she is often encouraging her followers, through her Twitter, to take action against anything from white supremacy to cuts in environmental funding.

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Houston natives have taken to social media to express their sympathy and support to victims of the storm. Fox News announced Beyonce will be working with her charity for those affected by Harvey. The Houston Texan’s Twitter account also shared their support with tweeting, “Mr. McNair and the #Texans are pledging $1 million dollars to the United Way of Greater Houston Food Relief Fund #HoustonStrong.”

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Additionally, in one of the United States’ most recent crises, as Hurricane Harvey began causing destruction across the southern United States, celebrities again used Twitter’s massive reaching power as an opportunity to spread information.  

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Leonardo DiCaprio, who in recent years has made himself known as an environmental activist, has been using social media as a way to call attention to climate change’s role in Hurricane Harvey.  Within the last week, DiCaprio has retweeted a number of environmental Twitter accounts--such as Guardian Environment and Climate Nexus--who share links to both informational and opinionated articles supporting environmental research. Daily Mail reported that the actor donated one million dollars to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts from his charitable foundation. He took to Twitter with, “Flooding has forced thousands out of Texas and Louisiana, from their homes. Join me in supporting the @RedCross: redcross.org.”

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Though celebrity twitters have mostly implicated a strong political divide in the country, liberal and conservative celebrities alike have used its reaching power to spread information about how their followers can help those affected by the natural disaster, retweeting links to relief funds or simply sharing helpful information.