The Impact of Internet Celebrities on Algerian EFL Learners’ Lifestyle Habits

Abstract

Social media paved the way for the emergence of a new type of celebrity: the internet celebrity. Internet celebrities have changed how young people speak, dress, and act. The present study examines the impact of social media and internet celebrities on the lifestyle habits of Algerian EFL learners. A lot of studies have been conducted on how social media can be used in EFL learning, yet very little is known about their effects beyond the EFL classroom. The findings of this study could provide insights into how excessive media usage could lead to the cultivation of new habits and lifestyle tendencies among young people. The main questions that guided this study were: to what extent are Algerian EFL learners exposed to social media? To what extent do they interact with internet celebrities? And how are they influenced by internet celebrities? One hundred and eleven students of English at Mostefa Ben Boulaid University, Algeria, were surveyed in this study. The findings suggest that Algerian EFL learners are heavily exposed to social networks due to the usefulness and efficiency of these networks as informal language learning tools. In addition to language learning, EFL learners are very attracted by other online content, such as fashion and cooking, which makes them continuously involved with, and influenced by, social media celebrities. Consequently, this continuous involvement with internet celebrities shapes EFL learners’ lifestyle habits.