When Taylor Swift wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday on the future of the music industry, the internet and media were, well, surprised.

Here was a beautiful and talented songstress stepping out from behind the microphone to talk publicly about a complex subject that she felt strongly about. The newspaper’s decision to commission Swift on the subject was both unexpected and welcomed.

· GALLERY The celebrities who make a difference
· Taylor swift predicts the future of the music industry

The 24-year-old country singer, who often gets a rough time from naysayers, wrote a ripper: insightful, wise beyond her years, sincere and optimistic. 

Fierce: Singer Taylor Swift is not afraid to voice her opinions and should be applauded. Photo: Getty

Swift cautiously stepped into the realm of celebrities who want to be more and say more, and have the intellectual chops to back it up.

When Angelina Jolie underwent a mastectomy to stop the potential onset of breast cancer, she wrote about her experience for The New York Times.

However, the line between personality and principle is a fine one to tread.

Celebrities need influence to get people’s attention, intelligence to make the message count and commitment to make a difference

Professor Gillian Whitlock, a professorial fellow at the University of Queensland, says it’s important to recognise the limitations of celebrity influence.

“Angelina Jolie represents our concern and sorrow because she’s eloquent and beautiful,” Professor Whitlock says, “but we need to translate that energy into things that work for the people involved.”

To gain our respect, and to have a meaningful impact on the lives of people who consume their movies or music, celebrities need influence to get people’s attention, intelligence to make the message count and commitment to make a difference. A sprinkling of individuality, industry prowess and good looks also helps.

Among the hordes of people who fill the celebrity pages of magazine and websites, there is a small number who use their fame as currency to buy influence on matters of substance – breast cancer, African famines, adoption.

Here are some of the powerful stars making a difference

George Clooney
All-round good guy

The actor has been a longtime campaigner for the end of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan, contributing his personal funds to the project.

In 2012, he was arrested outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington for protesting human rights abuse.

“The goal for today is the same goal it’s been all along and will continue to be; protest the idea of a government attacking and killing its own innocent men, women and children and allowing aid to get in now,” Clooney told the Huffington Post.

Angelina Jolie
A woman for all seasons

Along with her brave mastectomy revelation, Jolie has long dedicated her time to causes in the third world, appointed as Special Envoy of UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 2012.

Most recently she appeared at a summit to support the end of sexual violence in conflict.

Lupita Nyong’o
A real beauty

As the beaten but not broken Patsy in 2013’s 12 Years a Slave, Nyong’o became an automatic role model for black women everywhere and used her influence to full effect.

“Having come to the United States was the first time that I really had to consider myself as being black and to learn what my race meant,” Nyong’o told Vogue.

She shared her story in a tearful speech at a Hollywood luncheon.

“I hope that my presence on your screens and in magazines will lead you, young girl, on a similar journey. That you will feel the validation of your external beauty, but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside,” Nyong’o said.

Ryan Gosling
Man’s best friend

A huge animal lover, the heartthrob wrote an op-ed for the Huffington Post protesting against cage farming in Canada.

“Animals deserve our care and attention,” the actor wrote, citing his special relationship with his dog, George, as his motivator.

Cate Blanchett
Defender of the arts

Blanchett is hugely committed to the Sydney Theatre Company and uses her platform to promote the arts in Australia.

When cuts were made to arts and culture funding in her home country, Blanchett publically denounced the decision as “short-sighted” at the Cannes Film Festival.

“It’s not only a potent industry that feeds Australia at home. Culture generally for any nation is a piece of soft diplomacy, it’s a way that we understand the way the mindset of a country works,” Blanchett said.

Leonardo DiCaprio
Captain planet

In 1998, DiCaprio created a foundation in his name dedicated to creating a sustainable planet. He is on the board of the World Wildlife Foundation and the Natural Resources Defence Council.

Last month, he pledged $US7 million towards the establishment of marine reserves.

“We’re plundering the ocean and its vital resources, and just because we can’t see the devastation from dry land doesn’t mean it’s any less dangerous,” he said in a speech at a June conference. “It needs to stop.”

Lena Dunham
Boundary breaker

A veritable one-woman show, Dunham writes, directs and acts. She’s also responsible for bringing normal body image back to television screens with her hit series, Girls, in which she spends the majority of her screen time partially-clothed.

Sometimes controversially, Dunham is an outspoken feminist and encourages discussion about what it means to be female in the modern age.

“The world’s getting more and more full,” Dunham told the Huffington Post. “Our generation is not just white girls. It’s guys. Women of color. Gay people. The idea that I could speak for everyone is so absurd. But what is nice is if I could speak for me and it’s resonant for people, then that’s about as much as I could hope for.”

Want to read more about the fame game? Read Framing Celebrity by Su Holmes and Sean Redmond. Buy it here. 

Celebrity culture has a pervasive presence in our everyday lives - perhaps more so than ever before. It shapes not simply the production and consumption of media content but also the social values through which we experience the world.