Be warned: social justice is no more than a branding device for influencers | Rachel Connolly

Just like their bland aesthetic, social media stars' low-risk, high-gain activism has become a core part of how they attract attention

Who should be famous? There are people who are so brilliant at - and dedicated to - what they do that their work makes the world seem bigger and more exciting. Watching them act, hearing them sing, reading their writing or seeing their art can make you feel like something inside you is waking up - like there is more to life than work, bills and shopping. It really hits you. There are people who live wild, fascinating lives, full of stories that remind you rules can be broken.

There are people who are so beautiful they seem to come from a different planet. You see a face like this and it stays with you. You find yourself, months later, in a supermarket queue, smiling and wondering about them, still. There are people who are very brave. Who will do the right thing, whatever the personal cost, because someone has to.

Rachel Connolly is a London-based journalist from Belfast