101-746: Swifties are the fandom of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift . Regarded by journalists as one of the largest, most devoted, and influential fan bases, Swifties are known for their high levels of participation, creativity, community, and cultural impact on the music industry and popular culture . They are a subject of widespread coverage in the mainstream media . Critics have opined that Swift has redefined artist–fandom relationships by establishing an intimate connection with Swifties. She has frequently engaged with, helped, credited and prioritized her fans, who have offered unprecedented support and interest in her works irrespective of her wavering reception in
202-465: A bloc . Fan activism in support of the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike through Fans4Writers appears to be an extension of this trend. Science Fiction writers, editors and publishers have participated in science fiction fandom themselves, from Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison to Patrick Nielsen Hayden and Toni Weisskopf . Ed Brubaker was a fan of the Captain America comics as
303-492: A franchise or an individual celebrity , or encompassing entire hobbies , genres or fashions . While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster 's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903. Many fandoms are overlapped. There are a number of large conventions that cater to fandom such as film, comics, anime, television shows, cosplay, and
404-553: A sleeper hit as its sales remained consistent over time, reaching one million copies in November 2007. It garnered its highest sales week in January 2008, with 187,000 copies. This sleeper success contributed to a rapid increase in Swift's notability within and beyond the country music scene. Taylor Swift spent 24 weeks at the number-one spot of the U.S. Top Country Albums chart and became
505-511: A "multiplayer puzzle" involving fanbase commitment, which other artists have attempted to reproduce. According to Sinéad O'Sullivan in The New Yorker , the Swiftverse is "a fan universe, filled with complex, in-sequence narratives that have been contextualized through multiple perspectives" across Swift's albums. Andrew Unterberger of Spin wrote that symbolisms are "inextricable elements of
606-400: A Swift-themed event , Swifties raised over £ 100,000 within a day to help the victims. While Swifties are generally perceived as a fandom unanimously supportive of Swift, members of the fanbase have also criticized her a number of times throughout the years. Reasons include insufficient political activism from Swift, such as during Donald Trump's election as the 45th president of the U.S. or
707-484: A U.K.-wide club-night tour that sells out every weekend. American reality television programs such as Dancing with the Stars and The Voice hosted special Swift-themed nights in 2023. Swiftie trends have also inspired various brands. The A.V. Club stated that "usually, pop stars are products and fandom is the consumer", but Swifties are a product themselves. For instance, the phrase "seemingly ranch " became viral after
808-428: A college student who is a fan of a book series called Simon Snow, which is written by a fictional author named Gemma T. Leslie. On October 6, 2015, Rainbow Rowell published a follow-up novel to Fangirl . Carry On is a stand-alone novel set in the fictional world that Cath, the main character of Fangirl writes fan fiction in. The film and television entertainment industry refers to the totality of fans devoted to
909-514: A common goal of "decreasing world suck". K-pop fans have been involved in various online fan activism campaigns related to Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Black Lives Matter movement. Notable feature-length documentaries about fandom include Trekkies and A Brony Tale . Slash is a movie released in 2016 about a young boy who writes slash fan fiction. The SiriusXM -produced audio documentary Comic-Con Begins
1010-526: A day before her then-label, Big Machine Records , was inaugurated. Swift's songs on MySpace collected more than 45 million listens, which Scott Borchetta , the label CEO, provided to "skeptical" country radio programmers to convince them of existing fans for Swift's songs. Swift released her self-titled debut studio album in the United States in October 2006. It sold 40,000 copies in its first week, but became
1111-474: A drawing of a character from Steve Gallacci 's Albedo Anthropomorphics initiated a discussion of anthropomorphic characters in science fiction novels, which in turn initiated a discussion group that met at science fiction and comics conventions. Additional subjects with significant fandoms include comics , animated cartoons , video games , sports, music, films, television shows, pulp magazines , soap operas , celebrities, and game shows . Members of
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#17331258249791212-465: A fan account on Twitter used it to caption a photo of Swift's snacks at a National Football League (NFL) game, spawning a string of memes and causing food companies like Heinz , McDonald's , KFC , Hidden Valley and Primal Kitchen to pick it up for their products and marketing. According to a 2023 survey by Morning Consult , in the U.S., 53% of adults said they were fans of Swift, of whom 44% identified as Swifties and 16% as her "avid" fans. Of
1313-593: A fandom associate with one another, often attending fan conventions and publishing and exchanging fanzines and newsletters. Amateur press associations are another form of fan publication and networking. Originally using print-based media, these subcultures have migrated much of their communications and interaction onto the Internet, which is also used for the purpose of archiving detailed information pertinent to their given fanbase. Often, fans congregate on forums and discussion boards to share their love for and criticism of
1414-489: A focus on relationships between characters within TV and movie media franchises, such as Star Trek and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. . Fans of these franchises generated creative products like fan art and fan fiction at a time when typical science fiction fandom was focused on critical discussions. The MediaWest convention provided a video room and was instrumental in the emergence of fan vids , or analytic music videos based on
1515-477: A glimpse into their everyday life, public figures have a new way of expressing themselves and engaging with their fanbases on a deeper level. Online platforms also give fans more ways to connect and participate in fandoms. Some fans have made their work in fandom into careers. The book Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James was originally a fan fiction of the Twilight series published on FanFiction.Net . The story
1616-505: A house for a homeless and pregnant fan. Her high donation to a fan with leukemia on GoFundMe in 2015 caused the crowdfunding platform to expand its donation cap. In 2023, thousands of Swifties collectively donated US$ 125,000 via GoFundMe to the family of a fellow Swiftie who was struck and killed by a drunk driver on his way home from a Swift concert. Much of the donated amount was given in portions of $ 13, Swift's favorite number. When three children were murdered and several other maimed at
1717-720: A kid and was so upset that Bucky Barnes was killed off that he worked on ways to bring him back. The Winter Soldier arc began in 2004, and in the sixth issue in 2005 it was revealed that the Winter Soldier was Bucky Barnes. Many authors write fan fiction under pseudonyms. Lev Grossman has written stories in the Harry Potter , Adventure Time , and How to Train Your Dragon universes. S.E. Hinton has written about both Supernatural and her own books, The Outsiders . Movie actors often cosplay as other characters to enjoy being
1818-454: A loyal fanbase with high levels of participation and creativity; devoted fans in overseas countries such as China translate her lyrics and coordinate large-scale Swift-related events. Their positive reception of Reputation, which was released after her 2016 controversy, demonstrated their commitment to her, irrespective of a tonal shift in her artistry and public perception. Billboard wrote the unprecedented success of Swift's re-recorded albums
1919-476: A measure of chart performances over twelve months from around December to November (cutoff determined by Billboard ' s publication schedule) rather than actual total sales. In addition, certain additions post-2015 may differ from best-selling albums in the United States of the Nielsen SoundScan era , which includes album-equivalent units by means of streaming . Harry Belafonte 's Calypso (1956)
2020-443: A particular area of interest, organized or not, as the "fanbase". Media fans, have, on occasion, organized on behalf of canceled television series , with notable success in cases such as Star Trek in 1968, Cagney & Lacey in 1983, Xena: Warrior Princess , in 1995, Roswell in 2000 and 2001 (was canceled with finality at the end of the 2002 season), Farscape in 2002, Firefly in 2002, and Jericho in 2007. (In
2121-604: A plot that was thwarted by Austrian authorities. Swifties formed the Swifties For Kamala coalition in 2024 to "help get Democratic candidates elected up and down the ballot", with focus on the campaign of Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election . Though not affiliated with Swift herself, Swifties For Kamala received support from public figures and politicians such as Carole King , Elizabeth Warren , Kirsten Gillibrand , Ed Markey , Chris Deluzio , Becca Balint , and Anderson Clayton . After Harris replaced Biden as
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#17331258249792222-469: A positive social impact. For example, the Harry Potter Alliance is a civic organization with a strong online component which runs campaigns around human rights issues, often in partnership with other advocacy and nonprofit groups; its membership skews college age and above. Nerdfighters , another fandom formed around Vlogbrothers , a YouTube vlog channel, are mainly high school students united by
2323-466: A regular fan at cons; for example, Daniel Radcliffe cosplayed as Spider-Man at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con. Before the release of The Amazing Spider-Man , Andrew Garfield dressed up as Spider-Man and gave an emotional speech about what Spider-Man meant to him and thanking fans for their support. The relationship between fans and professionals has changed because of access to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. By giving their follows
2424-399: A self-mythology that fans believe could have a hidden meaning and attempt to decode, such as a release date, song or album title or an artistic element. Madeline Merinuk of Today observed how Swift's easter eggs, which originated as short messages hidden within elaborate CD packaging, have become more innovative and intricate over time. The critical analysis is referred to as "Swiftology" in
2525-466: A source, in the late 1970s. By the mid-1970s, it was possible to meet fans at science fiction conventions who did not read science fiction, but only viewed it on film or TV. Anime and manga fandom began in the 1970s in Japan. In America, the fandom also began as an offshoot of science fiction fandom, with fans bringing imported copies of Japanese manga to conventions . Before anime began to be licensed in
2626-417: A specific work. This congregation can lead to a high level of organization and community within the fandom, as well as infighting. Although there is some level of hierarchy among most of the discussion boards, and certain contributors may be valued more highly than others, newcomers are most often welcomed into the fold. Most importantly, these sorts of discussion boards can have an effect on the media itself, as
2727-536: A tally of actual sales. Weekly surveys and year-end charts by Billboard and other publications such as now defunct Cash Box magazine sometimes differed. For instance, during the 1960s and 1970s, the number-one album as determined by these two publications differed in 10 out of 20 years. From 1992 onwards, the Billboard year-end and weekly charts were calculated by Nielsen SoundScan . Note that this slightly differs from prior Billboard year-end album charts, which were
2828-773: Is left-aligned , some conservatives still "covet" her, making her a deciding factor in the U.S. politics. In May 2023, Texas approved the law titled "Save Our Swifties", banning the use of bots to bulk-purchase tickets. Similar bills were launched in various U.S. states and the U.S. Congress . Internationally, presidential candidates such as Gabriel Boric in Chile and Leni Robredo in the Philippines have appealed or marketed themselves to Swifties during their respective election campaigns. The Islamic State (ISIS) planned to mass-murder attendees of one of Swift's Eras Tour shows in Vienna , Austria, in
2929-608: Is Byzantine and layered and complex and messianic." Glamour and The Washington Post termed the lore as the Taylor Swift Cinematic Universe. Entertainment Weekly called it Taylor Swift Musical Universe—"a pop star known for prodigious hint-dropping, whose fans turn every piece of info into an online archaeological dig ." In The Guardian , Adrian Horton said "Swiftverse" is a subculture of mass media, cultivated by "years of worldbuilding and Swiftian mythology", while Alim Kheraj wrote Swift turned pop music into
3030-479: Is a conspiracy theory that claims Swift is secretly gay . A small faction of Swifties, who call themselves "Gaylors", support and promote the theory, believing that Swift hints at her queerness through her music and lifestyle, although she has stated she is "not part of" the LGBT community but rather an ally . Some Gaylors specifically ship Swift with Karlie Kloss , Dianna Agron , or both, claiming Swift dated them in
3131-434: Is a source of myth in popular culture. Her outfits, accessories, diction , color coding, and numerology have also been Easter eggs. Swifties are known for their fan theories, having gained a reputation as "the best online sleuths" for breaking down and associating various elements they consider as clues or Easter eggs. According to Bruce Arthur of Toronto Star , "Swift is followed by fans whose dedication to her mythology
Swifties - Misplaced Pages Continue
3232-410: Is an acknowledgement of her relationship with Stone although Swift and Stone have only referred to each other as close friends in the media. However, the majority of Swifties consider the past relationship between Stone and actor Andrew Garfield as the inspiration for the song. In the album prologue to 1989 (Taylor's Version) , Swift acknowledged that her female friendships have been sexualized like
3333-439: Is an underlying misogyny in the way Swifties are portrayed by the media, often male authors, as "some Victorian hysteria; irrational and shallow". Cohen stated that "liking her music is looked down on by those who consider themselves arbiters of what's culturally 'good enough', in the same way as romantic literature by women is written-off as mere 'chick lit'." The fan frenzy, generally termed "Swiftmania", has been considered
3434-536: Is easy to dismiss the frenzy surrounding Swift as mindless hero worship. Yet, the Swifties have shown the power of fandom to create social bonds that transcend consumerism." He praised Swift's ability to "tap into the collector mindset in her fandom". Arthur opined, "People like to frame Swifties as an extreme case, but it sort of functions the same way as in sports." Claire Cohen opined in Evening Standard that there
3535-536: Is known for her large CD and vinyl sales despite the 21st-century music scene having shifted to a largely digital industry. From 2014 to 2015, Swift contested music streaming services Spotify and Apple Music to regulate their policies to protect artists' integrity . She announced that 1989 , her first-ever pop music album, would not release on Spotify and Apple Music, protesting the platform's "minuscule" payments to musicians. Some journalists, such as Nilay Patel of Vox , criticized Swift's beliefs; Patel said that
3636-495: Is spotted. Swift herself has spoken about her lack of privacy many times. In Miss Americana , when Swift leaves her Tribeca apartment surrounded by fans and spectators outside her door, she states that she is "highly aware of the fact that that is not normal." Some fans have also been reported to attack, harass, or send death threats online to, and dox other celebrities, journalists, and social media users for various reasons, such as speaking negatively of Swift. Vice called
3737-515: The Associated Press called Swifties an influential voter demographic in U.S. politics: "the sheer power and size of Swift's fandom has spurred conversations about economic inequality , merely symbolized by Ticketmaster". According to a 2023 survey reported by The Times , 53% adult Americans consider themselves "fans" of Swift, ratings that journalist Ellie Austin said Biden and Trump "can only dream of". Austin explained that though Swift herself
3838-562: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict , and the individuals she has been associated with in the media, such as Matty Healy , who is known for his controversial statements. Swift has also criticized her fans or some of her fans in certain lyrics of her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024), prominently in the tracks " But Daddy I Love Him " and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" for encroaching on her private life. "Her use of symbols and imagery has only grown over time, to
3939-466: The Society for Creative Anachronism , a medievalist re-creation group, has its roots in science fiction fandom and was founded by members thereof. Many science fiction and fantasy authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley , Poul Anderson , Randall Garrett , David D. Friedman , and Robert Asprin have been members of the organization. Media fandom split from science fiction fandom in the early 1970s with
4040-450: The politics of the United States . Swift's releases, promotional efforts, and fashion have garnered attention for incorporating Easter eggs and clues that are decoded by Swifties and considered part of her musical universe . They have also been a subject of criticism, with some fans displaying disregard for Swift's privacy by publicizing her real-time locations and verbally abuse individuals, including celebrities, who malign Swift. On
4141-587: The suffix "ie", which is often used in diminutives to imply affection. Swift stated in a 2012 Vevo interview that her fans call themselves "Swifties", which she found "adorable". Swift filed the term for trademark in March 2017. In 2023, Oxford Dictionary of English defined Swiftie as a noun meaning "an enthusiastic fan of the singer Taylor Swift." As per the dictionary, some words that collocate with Swiftie in popular usage are "fandom", "die-hard", "hardcore" and "self-proclaimed". According to Dictionary.com ,
Swifties - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-504: The tabloid media coverage of her male acquaintances. A January 2024 opinion article by writer Anna Marks, published in The New York Times , speculated that Swift is a closeted queer person based on Marks' perceptions of Swift's lyrics and aesthetics, drawing criticism from Swifties and other readers. Subsequently, CNN Business reported that Swift's personnel found the article "invasive, untrue and inappropriate". Swifties have been
4343-565: The "booming" travel, lodging , cosmetic , fashion, and food businesses—boosts tourism revenues of cities by large margins. The Los Angeles Times described Swifties as an economic microcosm. In November 2022, the U.S. pre-sale of the Eras Tour was mishandled by Ticketmaster , receiving widespread public and political scrutiny . Due to "astronomical" fan demand, the Ticketmaster website crashed but 2.4 million tickets had been sold, breaking
4444-442: The 20th century coincided with the rise of popular music culture, and revolves around the collective enthusiasm and dedication of fans towards specific musical artists, bands, or genres. Common forms of engagement for music fandoms include attending concerts, creating fan art , participating in online communities, and consuming media related to their preferred artist. These communities play an important role in promoting and supporting
4545-712: The 21st-century equivalent to Beatlemania by journalists such as Jon Bream of Star Tribune , who said "Swift has achieved a once unthinkable monoculture, a zeitgeistian redux of Beatlemania". Shows and television programs featuring Swift often experience viewership peaks due to Swifties; Super Bowl LVIII experienced higher viewership due to Swift's relationship with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce . Apart from music artists who have cited Swift as an influence, such as Olivia Rodrigo , Halsey and Camila Cabello , various other celebrities have described themselves as Swifties. Swifties have been widely covered for their support for Swift in terms of her commercial success. Swift
4646-620: The Democratic candidate for the 2024 election, Swifties For Kamala amassed nearly 65,000 followers on TikTok alone by July and raised over US$ 138,000 in a virtual rally in August. As of August 2024, the group has 72,000 followers on Twitter and nearly 50,000 on Instagram. Swifties have received criticism for certain behaviors. Journalists have denounced the parasocial interactions that some Swifties have with Swift, including excessive interest in Swift's private life. Fans have swarmed locations where she
4747-821: The Internet has furthermore resulted in the creation of online fan networks who help facilitate the exchange of fanworks. Some fans create pictures known as edits , which consist of pictures or photos with their chosen fandom characters in different scenarios. These edits are often shared on social media networks such as Instagram , TikTok, Tumblr or Pinterest . In edits, one may see content relating to several different fandoms. Fans in communities online often make gifs or gif sets about their fandoms. Gifs or gif sets can be used to create non-canon scenarios mixing actual content or adding in related content. Gif sets can also capture minute expressions or moments. Fans use gifs to show how they feel about characters or events in their fandom; these are called reaction gifs. The Temple of
4848-403: The Internet sabotaged the album format and claimed that most fans would not shop for a Swift CD anymore. Many industry personnel felt that Swift's departure from country music and streaming platforms would impact the album's sales. Publications predicted 1989 to not sell over one million copies in its first week like her previous albums Speak Now (2010) and Red (2012) did. However, 1989
4949-611: The Jedi Order, or Jediism , a self-proclaimed "real living, breathing religion," views itself as separate from the Jedi as portrayed in the Star Wars franchise. Despite this, sociologists view the conflation of religion and fandom in Jediism as legitimate in some sense, classifying both as participatory phenomena. There are also active fan organizations that participate in philanthropy and create
5050-479: The Taylor Swift experience" and key to understanding her work. To Caroline Mimbs Nyce of The Atlantic , Swift's fandom is nearly a metaverse : "a huge virtual community unmoored from a single platform, based on a world around Taylor Swift, missing only the 3D virtual space to hang out in." According to Yahr, Swift enjoys embedding "clues, hints and puzzles" in her works, social media posts and interviews, constructing
5151-507: The U.S., fans who wanted to get a hold of anime would leak copies of anime movies and subtitle them to exchange with friends in the community, thus marking the start of fansubs . While the science fiction and anime fandoms grew in media, the Grateful Dead subculture that emerged in the late 1960s to the early 1970s created a global fandom around hippie culture that would have lasting impacts on society and technology. Music fandom in
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#17331258249795252-483: The United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, Philippines, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, and Japan. Her subsequent albums, which saw her experiment with pop , rock , electronic , folk , and alternative styles, helped enlarge her fanbase and diversify its demographics in the following decades. The word "Swiftie" for a Swift fan gained popularity in the late 2000s. Etymologically , the word is formed from Swift's name and
5353-412: The careers of artists, as well as shaping cultural trends within the music industry. Some popular examples of music fandom include Beatlemania , Swifties , Deadheads and The Barbz . The furry fandom refers to the fandom for fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics. The concept of the furry originated at a science fiction convention in 1980, when
5454-403: The case of Firefly the result was the movie Serenity , not another season.) It was likewise the fans who facilitated the push to create a Veronica Mars film through a Kickstarter campaign. Fans of the show Chuck launched a campaign to save the show from being canceled using a Twitter hashtag and buying products from sponsors of the show. Fans of Arrested Development fought for
5555-596: The character Steve Holt to be included in the fourth season. The Save Steve Holt! campaign included a Twitter and Facebook account, a hashtag , and a website. In the music industry, fandoms have played vital roles in shaping the music of their favorite artists. In 2023, Lana Del Rey was featured in Taylor Swift's song "Snow on the Beach", a track off of her popular album Midnights . Both Swifties , Taylor Swift's loyal fan base, and Lana Del Rey fans were disappointed with
5656-460: The companies for intentional deception, fraud, price fixing , and antitrust law violations. Under pressure from U.S. president Joe Biden , Ticketmaster and other ticketing companies agreed to terminate junk fees . Entertainment Weekly and The A.V. Club listed "Swifties vs. Ticketmaster" as one of the biggest cultural news stories of 2022. CNN journalist Allison Morrow wrote in an article titled "One Nation, Under Swift" that Swift's fans united
5757-522: The early 20th century. A wide variety of modern organized Western fan subcultures originated with science fiction fandom , the community of fans of the science fiction and fantasy genres . Science fiction fandom dates back to the 1930s and maintains organized clubs and associations in many cities around the world. Fans have held the annual World Science Fiction Convention since 1939, along with many other events each year, and has created its own jargon , sometimes called " fanspeak ". In addition,
5858-415: The fandom an "equal-parts welcoming yet gate-kept community caught in the throes of idealistic, obsessive celebrity culture ". Other fanbases have accused Swifties of racism towards African-American artists. Black Swifties, however, claimed that they often face derision from other Black people, who question the racial status of Black Swifties for liking a White artist more than Black artists. Gaylor
5959-451: The fandom community by sponsoring and presenting at events and conventions dedicated to fandom. Studios frequently create elaborate exhibits, organize panels that feature celebrities and writers of film and television (to promote both existing work and works yet to be released), and engage fans directly with providing Q&A sessions, screening sneak previews, and supplying branded giveaway merchandise. The interest, reception, and reaction of
6060-413: The fandom community to the works being promoted have a marked influence on how film studios and others proceed with the projects and products they exhibit and promote. Fandoms, for example at Comic Con, can sometimes lead to toxic behavior, including harassing other fans or media creators. The rise of the Internet created new and powerful outlets for fandom. While the principles of fandom largely remain
6161-499: The fans, 52% were women while 48% were men. Racially, the 74% of the fans were white, 13% were Black , 9% were Asian , and 4% from other races. Politically, 55% of the fans were Democratic , 23% were Republican , and 23% were independent . In terms of generations, 45% are millennials, 23% are baby boomers , 21% are Generation X , and 11% are Generation Z . Journalists have also noted an increase in Swift's boomer and Generation X fans, known as " senior Swifties". Brooke Schultz of
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#17331258249796262-622: The fans. In June 2010, Swift hosted a 13-hour meet-and-greet as a part of the CMA Festival in Nashville, Tennessee . In 2014, 2017 and 2019, she hosted the "Secret Sessions", a series of pre-release album-listening parties for fans at her houses, and a 2014 Christmas event dubbed by the fans as the "Swiftmas," where Swift sent packages of early Christmas presents to fans and hand-delivered some of them. Swift has also written songs in honor of her fans, such as " Long Live " (2010) or " Ronan " (2012);
6363-625: The fastest-growing petitions on the platform this month". Braun, however, claimed that Swift "weaponized" her fanbase by making the dispute public. Swifties also discovered that the Carlyle Group, a partner of Braun in the dispute, supplies weapons to the civil war in Yemen , which was confirmed by publications such as The New York Times . Swift's works, including concert tours such as the Eras Tour , are known to stimulate surrounding economies. The economic impact—driven largely by Swifties and attributed to
6464-444: The feature, as they felt her contribution was not long enough or sufficiently prominent in the mix. In response, Taylor Swift released an updated version of the track titled "Snow on the Beach (Feat. More Lana Del Rey)", where she sings the entire second verse. Such outcries, even when unsuccessful, suggest a growing self-awareness on the part of entertainment consumers, who appear increasingly likely to attempt to assert their power as
6565-573: The form of video-making as well as writing. Fan fiction may or may not tie in with the story's canon ; sometimes fans use the story's characters in different situations that do not relate to the plot line at all. Especially at events, fans may also partake in cosplay , the creation and wearing of costumes designed in the likeness of characters from a source work, which can also be combined with role-playing , reenacting scenes, or inventing likely behavior inspired by their chosen sources. Others create fan vids , or analytical music videos focusing on
6666-417: The interactions between Swifties satiates the fans' "social media gratifications for entertainment, social interactions, and information-seeking ." Various universities also host fan clubs dedicated to Swift. Fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of
6767-434: The latter are a subculture characterized by collective effervescence , unlike other fanbases. Some linguists termed the Swifties' fan-coded, lyrics-based language a "fanilect". A 2023 network map published by López and Chandra divided Swifties into six distinct factions based on online interactions and topics of discussion. A 2024 qualitative study of Indonesian Swifties claimed that the parasocial interaction with Swift and
6868-410: The latter is a charity record about a fan's four-year-old son who died of neuroblastoma . In 2023, she invited 2,200 fans to the world premiere of her concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour , free of cost. Zoya Raza-Sheikh of The Independent reported that Swift "remains at the forefront of delivering fan-based experiences to cultivate an ever-growing following. Whether it's personal invites to
6969-602: The longest-running album from the 2000s decade on the all-genre Billboard 200 . Her follow-up album, Fearless , was released in November 2008 and became the best-selling album of 2009 . It achieved significant international success beyond the Anglosphere , where country music was then not popular, and its singles " Love Story " and " You Belong with Me " became crossover successes on pop radio , catapulting Swift to mainstream fame and widening her audience. The success planted dedicated fanbases for Swift in overseas markets such as
7070-504: The lyrics in Swift's 2009 parody song " Thug Story " with American record producer T-Pain ), and "The Music Industry" (referring to her influence on the music industry ). Chinese Swifties dubbed her "Meimei" (霉霉), a pun based on the Chinese character "Mei" (霉) for "unlucky" that has since been adopted by Chinese state media . Swift has donated to fans to cover their academic loans, medical bills, rent or other expenses. In 2018, she bought
7171-427: The media . They continued to support Swift through her genre transitions, unanticipated artistic pivots, and her highly publicized controversies such as the 2019 masters dispute , while instigating the political scrutiny of Ticketmaster that led to implementation of various laws and stimulating economic growth with the Eras Tour . Journalists consider Swifties as a significantly influential voting bloc , especially in
7272-625: The media. For instance, " the scarf " mentioned in "All Too Well" has been a topic of mythology. Swift is known for her album rollouts and promotional concepts, often referred to as "eras". Each era is characterized by an aesthetic idea, color palette, mood, and a fashion style. As such, Swift has reinvented her image and style throughout her career, which Ashley Lutz of Fortune felt aided in broadening her fanbase. Today senior editor Elena Nicolaou reported on how Swifties, who are mostly millennials , have incorporated Swiftie culture into their weddings and other events. Swifties have been described as
7373-454: The music professor Paula Harper from the University of Chicago . The consumerist phenomenon of participating in or purchasing anything related to Swift has been termed "the Taylor Swift effect" by publications. To business scientists Brendan Canavan and Claire McCamley, the relationship between Swift and Swifties represents post-postmodern consumerism. Sociologist Brian Donovan opined, "it
7474-406: The objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices, differentiating fandom-affiliated people from those with only a casual interest. A fandom can grow around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like
7575-448: The opportunity to buy and sell related merchandise. Annual conventions such as San Diego Comic-Con , Wondercon , Dragon Con , and New York Comic Con are some of the more well-known and highly attended events that cater to overlapping fandoms. Feminist scholar Adrianne Wadewitz cited Janeites , the devotees of 19th century author Jane Austen , as the earliest example of fandom subculture, beginning around 1870. Another early example
7676-478: The other hand, some Swifties criticize Swift for her lifestyle and professional choices, which journalists disapprove as a parasocial relationship. Cultural analyses have variably described Swifties as a community of interest , a subculture , and a near- metaverse , while academics have studied them for their consumerism , content creation, social capital , collective effervescence , organizing prolificacy, and interpersonal relationships . The word Swiftie(s)
7777-553: The parties against Ticketmaster in a way "the Founding Fathers failed to anticipate". Noticing the growing trend of Swift-themed dance parties in the world, industry commentators found that Swift's cultural position as a staple in the 21st-century music landscape allowed nightclubs to profit from her by hosting specialized events for fans. One such party is "Swiftogeddon", which began as a one-off Swiftie event in London and grew into
7878-500: The past. Most Swifties criticize Gaylor theories as far-fetched, malicious, and disrespectful to Swift. Some journalists likewise dismiss it as an invasive and baseless conspiracy theory. Gaylors have alleged that a number of songs released by Swift confirm her romantic interest in women and that she was romantically involved with actresses Emma Stone and Cara Delevingne as well. They claimed that Swift's 2023 song " When Emma Falls in Love "
7979-477: The point that if you look deep enough into Swift World, her fans seem as if they are practically speaking another language with abbreviations, coded catchphrases and references that only they understand." Journalists describe Swift's works, celebrity, and the fanfare surrounding them as a world of its own, dubbing it a music " universe " subject to analyses by Swifties. Propagated by her prolific use of Easter eggs and "unusually close connection with her fans", Swift
8080-490: The power of the group experience." Her connection with fans is considered unique for artists of her stature; she has interacted with them on social media, sent them gifts, hand-selected them to attend intimate concerts or meet-and-greets, made surprise visits, participated in some of their functions (such as a wedding or a bridal shower ), and gifted free tickets to disadvantaged or medically ill fans. Swift's habit of lurking her fans online has been referred to as "Taylurking" by
8181-471: The practices of Deadhead fandom online. List of best-selling albums by year in the United States This is a list of the best-selling albums by year in the United States , published by American music magazine Billboard since 1956 as year-end rankings of album sales. Until 1991, the Billboard album chart was based on a survey of representative retail outlets that determined a ranking, not
8282-418: The publicity surrounding her 2019 masters dispute with Big Machine and American businessman Scooter Braun and drove the success of her re-recording efforts. An online petition launched by a fan on Change.org , calling Braun and Borchetta "to stop holding Swift's art hostage", garnered 35,000 plaintiffs in its first three hours. Michael Jones, a managing director of Change.org, described the petition as "one
8383-509: The record for the most concert tickets sold by an artist in a single day. Ticketmaster attributed the crash to "historically unprecedented" site traffic . Fans and consumer groups accused Ticketmaster of deceit and monopoly . The intense fan reactions caused several members of U.S. Congress to highlight the merger of Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment , and the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into Live Nation–Ticketmaster, while several fans sued
8484-578: The same, internet users now have the ability to engage in discourse on a global scale, creating an even stronger sense of community among fans. Mark Duffet touches on this point in Popular Music Fandom: Identities, Roles and Practices : "Online social media platforms... have operated as a forthright challenge to the idea that electronic mediation is an alienating and impersonal process". Fandoms engaging with technology began with early engineers trading Grateful Dead set lists and discussing
8585-466: The series. Comic-Con Begins was expanded into the book See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture by creator Mathew Klickstein and published by Fantagraphics on September 6, 2022. The book includes forewords by cartoonists Stan Sakai and Jeff Smith , and an afterword by Wu-Tang Clan 's RZA . Fangirl is a novel written by Rainbow Rowell about
8686-518: The setup of the band's concert speaker system, called the "Wall of Sound," on ARPANET , a precursor to the Internet. This led to tape trading over FTP , and the Internet Archive began to add Grateful Dead shows in 1995. Online tape trading communities such as etree evolved into P2P networks trading shows through torrents . After the birth of the World Wide Web , many communities adopted
8787-419: The singer's house for album listening parties, aka Secret Sessions, or pre-show hangouts, she continues to put her fans first." With her large fanbase, Swift is one of the most followed people on social media . According to ticketing executive Nathan Hubbard, Swift was the first musician ever "to be natively online." Rolling Stone critic Brittany Spanos opined that Swift grew her fanbase on social media: "She
8888-417: The source fandom, and yet others create fan art . Such activities are sometimes known as " fan labor " or " fanac " (an abbreviation for "fan activity"). The advent of the Internet has significantly facilitated fan association and activities. Activities that have been aided by the Internet include the creation of fan "shrines" dedicated to favorite characters, computer screen wallpapers, and avatars. The rise of
8989-431: The subject of journalistic and academic interest, studied for their social capital , consumerist characteristics and interpersonal relationships . Their "prolific content creation, digital savvy, organizing capacity, and sometimes vicious online behaviors" are also subjects of study, as per Internet culture researchers Cristina López and Avneesh Chandra. Donovan distinguished "Taylor Swift fans" from Swifties, opining that
9090-575: The term Swiftie often implies that the person is "a very passionate and loyal fan—as opposed to just a casual listener." Swift maintains a close relationship with Swifties, to whom many journalists attribute her cultural influence. To The Washington Post , Swift and Swifties are "all part of one big friend group". She has "revolutionized" the relationship a celebrity can have with fans, according to The New York Times . Many fans feel connected to her as they "have grown up with her and her music." Lora Kelley of The Atlantic stated that Swift "understands
9191-594: The top-sellers in two separate years. American singer Michael Jackson 's 1982 Thriller became the best-selling record in the country for two consecutive years in the 1980s. Other albums to achieve the same accomplishment included the My Fair Lady Original Cast Recording from the hit 1956 Broadway production between 1957 and 1958, the original soundtrack of West Side Story between 1962 and 1963, Adele's 21 between 2011 and 2012, and Adele's "25" between 2015 and 2016. The Spice Girls are
9292-628: Was added to the Oxford Dictionary of English in 2023. Taylor Swift began writing, recording and releasing country music in 2006. Before releasing her debut single, " Tim McGraw " (2006), Swift had been using social networking websites . She was one of the first country artists to use the Internet as a marketing tool for her music, predominantly promoting herself on Myspace and connecting with listeners who liked her music when it played on radio. She created her MySpace account on August 31, 2005,
9393-411: Was an unprecedented success for Swift despite the lack of streaming support, widely purchased by fans as CDs from Target ; the album sold 1.28 million copies in its opening week. In the 2020s , Swifties have also been credited with being one of the factors behind the vinyl revival . Swift's album LP variants have been sold exclusively at small businesses, driving their profits. Swift's fans increased
9494-412: Was fans of the literary detective Sherlock Holmes , holding public demonstrations of mourning after Holmes was "killed off" in 1893, and creating some of the first fan fiction as early as about 1897 to 1902. Outside the scope of media, railway enthusiasts are another early fandom with its roots in the late 19th century that began to gain in popularity and increasingly organize in the first decades of
9595-442: Was further evidence of their loyalty. According to Willman, the re-records' success inspired other artists to "weaponize fans in their business disputes". Author Amanda Petrusich described Swifties' allegiance as both "mighty and frightening". The Guardian critic Rachel Aroesti wrote, "You can't argue with her fanbase, immaculately devout and mind-bogglingly populous." Swifties are a "force"—"a large and powerful group", according to
9696-584: Was launched as a six-part series starting June 22, 2021. It presents the history of both San Diego Comic-Con and the modern fandom scene it helped to spawn, as told by nearly 50 surviving foundational SDCC members, fandom experts, and special guests such as: Kevin Smith , Neil Gaiman , Frank Miller , Felicia Day , Trina Robbins , Maggie Thompson , the Russo brothers , and Bruce Campbell . Cosplay pioneer, scream queen , and foundational SDCC member Brinke Stevens hosts
9797-406: Was not in the spirit of the community. There is contention over fans not being paid for their time or work. Gaming companies use fans to alpha and beta test their games in exchange for early access or promotional merchandise. The TV show Glee used fans to create promotional materials, though they did not compensate them. The entertainment industry has promoted its work directly to members of
9898-447: Was taken down for mature content that violated the site's terms of service. James rewrote the story to take out any references to Twilight and self-published on The Writer's Coffee Shop in May 2011. The book was published by Random House in 2012 and was very popular, selling over 100 million copies. However, many fans were not happy about James using fan fiction to make money and felt it
9999-418: Was the case in the television show Glee . Trends on discussion boards have been known to influence the writers and producers of shows. The media fandom for the TV series Firefly was able to generate enough corporate interest to create a movie after the series was canceled. Some fans write fan fiction ("fanfic"), stories based on the universe and characters of their chosen fandom. This fiction can take
10100-600: Was the first record to be recognized as a year's top-selling album by Billboard , when it started tracking sales figures. American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is the first and only artist to have eight of their albums become best-selling records of their respective years. She accomplished it with Fearless (2009), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017), Lover (2019), Folklore (2020), Midnights (2022), 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023). American acts Mariah Carey , Whitney Houston , and Eminem , and British acts Elton John and Adele , have had two of their albums be
10201-464: Was using Tumblr way past its prime. Twitter . She's now on TikTok , commenting on people's videos." The part of TikTok dominated by Swifties is known as "SwiftTok". A 2024 qualitative study of Swifties credited "Swift's constant self-disclosure and authentic persona on social media" for the Swifties' exceptional relationship with Swift. The nicknames generally used by Swifties for Swift include "Blondie" (referencing her blonde hair), "T-Swizzle" (after
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