Taylor Swift, political power, and the challenge of affect in popular music fandom

Authors

  • Simone Driessen Erasmus University Rotterdam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2020.1843

Keywords:

Celebrity politician, Fan comments, Polarization, Swifties, Vigilantism

Abstract

When Taylor Swift came out politically via Instagram in 2018, her fans, the Swifties, reacted to their object of affection and her political position. An analysis of the online fan response provides a snapshot of how politics is empirically manifest in mainstream pop music fandoms—a genre and space often overlooked when it comes to discussing politics.

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Published

2020-03-15

Issue

Vol. 32 (2020): Fandom and Politics

Section

Symposium

License

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