Lady Gaga announces collaboration with UN

[Isla 2]

flawless :legend:

[Shadow 6,625]

UNICEF is going to have hundreds of news stories mentioning them and their efforts because of Lady Gaga's tie in. These types of events with Gaga are setup specifically because they help get the word out. Charities need publicity too. It doesn't mean that Gaga wouldn't help anyway, but helping to give UNICEF publicity is one thing that Celebrities can do that most of us cannot.

It's good that UNICEF has celebrities to promote their cause. How would people look beyond the bubble of their lives to others in need otherwise?

Oh, I think it's much more general than that. I would bet people become inspired seeing "noble" actions played out in front of them, and they would probably be most influenced by people or situations that are significant to them. So if people look up to Gaga, couldn't she also subliminally inspire them by making these photos public?

And....

...I think what this really comes down to is whether you believe humans pursue charity purely out of their own empathetic good will, or if they do it to make themselves feel better (and this can include boosting their own self image of nobility). A celebrity's action will always be more scrutinized, but the same psychology would still apply to them.

Yeah, it is hard to decipher intentions of celebrities. Though good deeds speak louder than words.

It sounds bad, but that's exactly what people do. Especially to reach the "younger" crowd who haven't donated much in their lives visibility and exposure is key. Her collaboration is also an implicit approval by Gaga of UNICEF itself (not that it needs verification, but you know what I mean) - psychologically, it's different for people who are and have always at heart been willing to donate but don't know which organization to turn to and/or which of them are actual charities and social programs instead of organizations that spend only 1%-2% of their donations on charity. In this day and age people have become jaded when it comes to charities, and they pass that on to their children.

This gives, for the donation-newbie, a big sense of the process already having been "vetted" by a person they trust. Gaga is using her power as a global icon to draw attention to problems and the channels people can turn to to help - I don't think one really can underestimate what that achieves.

Most people are by nature charitable to a certain extent. Studies and elaborate experiments with high schoolers and college students have shown that when drawn to a real problem through extensive use of ad campaigns, spokespersons and victims talking about their ordeal could make people give shares of their own pocket money/the little amount they had as a student on a monthly basis. Another incredibly interesting experiment has shown that whenever people know there have been a lot of donations to a certain organization or cause, the numbers of donors will grow faster and faster. Take a plastic jar, plaster on a sign asking for donations for "x" cause and people will donate more and more often if they have seen that the jar already contains a lot of money. This is somewhat similar to Gaga's advocacy and how she helps give people the feeling (which in her case is obviously warranted) that the organization can be trusted and has already had a "vetting process" by a trusted source, like I mentioned above. A lot of potential donors might never have given UNICEF a second (or first) thought if they didn't know about this, even though it's a really well-known institution.

Besides, we only got a few pictures out of her visits to orphaned children in India and Peru, for example, because onlookers took pictures. Neither were "media events" in the least and the first one seemed to have been purposefully held a secret.

I see what you're saying. If people see how famous people invest their donations with the millions they have, they'll be more willing to trust their smaller donations will go to hopefully effective causes.

I was impressed by her modest actions in India and South America.

[gagalovesme 2]

aaagghhh my heart just melts every time she does this sort of thing :giveup:

[VasilisVas 5,164]

It's so weird seeing her back to blonde! I almost forgot what she looked like with blonde hair! :)

[DIMITRIS 0]

madonna adopted two children from africa and also built a school for little girls in malawi

While she waved goodbye to them with a hand sanitizer :laughga:

[Haku 2]

She looks so beautiful :sara:

[Skins 40]

OMG

She is so down to earth, loving person. When would you see a pop star doing this? I love how she sits on the floor with all the kids, as if she's one of them. So amazing. :heart:

[Elizabeth 450]

Wonderful. I'm really happy to see she's doing things like this :)

[Truth 90]

Such an amazing human being she is tbh :flutter:

[pink sushi 4,351]

This is why I love Gaga so much. :cry: Do u see Rihanna, Nicki, Katy, or Britney doing things like this on their time off? No.

Gaga is SUCH a kind hearted angel. Gonna have to marry her..... :crossed:

[HarryTheNight 35]

Amazing woman is amazing

[Mills 446]

She's more than just a pop icon whose drive to success isn't solely based on intangible charts. She's literally changing this world to become a better place, and that makes her an outright standout from the rest. :clap:

[wonry 3]

Well, I'm speechless. :clap:

[Arizonadream777 184]

madonna adopted two children from africa and also built a school for little girls in malawi

YEs but how far into her life was she? Gaga is only 26 and has already done so much. So screw madonna.

[NathanC 938]

What a goddess! :wub: