Have a platform? 有话语权_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Have a platform? 有话语权

Reader question:

Please explain "have a platform" in this sentence: Celebrities who have a platform should speak out (against social injustice).

My comments:

Celebrities, first of all, are famous people, people who are well known, people who are celebrated, i.e. widely admired, renowned.

Platform, on the other hand, is literally a raised floor used by public speakers or performers so that they can be seen by their audience. The stage on which actors perform in the theater, for example, is a typical platform. The actors have the platform. The audience down the stage don't have that platform. In other words, they don't have the visibility, along with the privilege of speaking to the audience or showing off their skills.

And the better the actors are, the bigger the stage they usually have. Away from theater, anyone who has an audience or following can be described as having a platform. For example, if you have 200,000 followers on WeChat, you have a platform. That's not suggesting you are using your platform in a socially constructive manner, but if you want to, and you should want to, you have a platform to do so. You may, for example, use your WeChat messages to advocate for recycling or for equal pay between men and women for equal jobs.

Anyways, to say celebrities have a platform is to acknowledge that they have this stage to do what they can do and say what they want to say - with a lot of people watching and listening to them. In other words, they have the power to influence. Their loyal fans and followers are always ready to listen to their words and tend to follow their footstep.