Taylor Swift isn’t solely a music icon, however a cultural and financial phenomenon of the twenty first century.
She’s in the midst of the highest-grossing music tour in historical past; she’s gained 14 Grammy Awards; she holds the document for probably the most albums to debut at primary consecutively (beating Elvis Presley) and has the document for probably the most primary albums by a lady in historical past.
She’s additionally used her fame to deal with political and social points, like LGBTQ+ rights and voter registration within the US.
It’s exhausting to think about a single artist that has had extra profound implications on so many sides of up to date life – from gender and fandom to economics, in style tradition to politics.
As we write, hypothesis swirls round whether or not Taylor Swift will once more endorse President Joe Biden within the upcoming US presidential election – with Donald Trump’s camp reportedly getting ready a “holy struggle” in opposition to her.
Regardless, it highlights how the trendy line between superstar and activist is changing into more and more blurred.
Increasingly more, celebrities are lending their voices to socio-political points, prompting questions on how they use their immense platforms to boost consciousness and co-create social worth alongside their audiences.
To grasp this phenomenon, it’s essential to recognise that celebrities are entities past simply entertainers.
Public relations and administration analysis has proposed the concept of “social worth co-creation,” the place companies collaborate with stakeholders – together with communities, non-profits and shoppers – to generate shared advantages past mere revenue.
When followers be a part of the dialog
The dynamics between companies and stakeholders may be advanced and infrequently marked by energy imbalances. Nonetheless, the connection between celebrities and followers is arguably extra symmetrical, making it a extra real and collaborative co-creation course of.
Celebrities and followers can work collectively to deal with social points, enriching one another’s lives within the course of.
As public relations researcher – Dr Brandi Watkins from Virginia Tech – suggests, when celebrities have interaction with audiences on social media, they aren’t simply delivering a message; they’re inviting followers to affix the dialog, share experiences and contribute to collective social worth.
Take Taylor Swift’s journey for example.
Her documentary Miss Americana captures her progress from an apolitical pop star to a vocal advocate on numerous social and political rights – together with these of the LGBTQ+ group.
She cited her unique inspiration for talking out in an interview with Vogue:
“Possibly a yr or two in the past, Todrick [Hall] and I are within the automobile, and he requested me, ‘What would you do in case your son was homosexual?’” she says. “The truth that he needed to ask me… shocked me and made me realise that I had not made my place clear sufficient or loud sufficient,” she says.
“If he was considering that, I can’t think about what my followers within the LGBTQ group is perhaps considering,” she goes on. “It was form of devastating to grasp that I hadn’t been publicly clear about that.”
By talking out, Swift opened a dialogue along with her followers – one the place many resonated along with her message. This sparked numerous fan-driven initiatives, from voter registration drives to social media campaigns, demonstrating the co-creative potential of superstar advocacy.
To grasp this phenomenon, we have to look by means of the lens of engagement idea. This idea proposes that efficient communication fosters relationships constructed on belief and mutual understanding.
From superstar to social change
When celebrities like Taylor Swift have interaction with their audiences on delicate social points, they’ll transcend their public personas and forge deeper connections. This then fuels the co-creation course of and empowers followers to contribute actively to social change.
Nonetheless, this technique of co-creation isn’t with out its challenges.
Celebrities could make errors, coming throughout as disingenuous or performative. So, it’s vital to know precisely how the general public interprets their motivations.
By taking a look at it this manner, it opens up entire new avenues of public relations analysis – and our undertaking is amongst one of many earliest efforts to delve into them.
If we have a look at the precise methods celebrities use to have interaction their public in social advocacy – how they leverage their platforms to boost consciousness, spark dialogue and inspire motion – then gauge the general public’s reactions, we will fee public relations methods that genuinely resonate with audiences.
We will additionally perceive how the general public participates on this co-creation course of – whether or not followers merely help and amplify messages or contribute distinctive views and concepts, and the way totally different fan communities contribute in a different way.
The potential challenges and tensions on this co-creation course of additionally benefit a better look, together with how celebrities deal with disagreements or a backlash from followers and the way they then navigate a few of these fraught points.
We’re additionally but to get a grasp of the long-term impression of superstar social advocacy on social change actions – whether or not it contributes to sustained momentum or truly dangers overshadowing grassroots efforts.
A extra in-depth have a look at superstar advocacy
Understanding the engagement between celebrities and followers goes past counting likes and retweets. That is the place digital ethnography is available in as a precious software.
Digital ethnography is a analysis methodology that makes use of conventional ethnography (remark and in-depth interviews) to check cultures and communities on-line.
We intention to know fan communities or boards on social media platforms – like Fb, Discord and Reddit – by following these discussions and taking a look at how Taylor Swift’s actions or statements affect conversations on social and political points.
Doing interviews with followers can even add an important ingredient to our analysis, giving us deeper insights into how followers understand Taylor Swift’s affect on their very own views and actions.
This fashion of researching additionally offers us a longitudinal evaluation (that’s, following specific fan communities over an prolonged interval), which then offers us a snapshot of the evolving impression of superstar advocacy over time.
And we will see the ripple impact of superstar advocacy in actual time – measuring its affect on public opinion, group initiatives and broader social actions.
The outcomes of our examine intention to not solely assist perceive the evolution of social actions but in addition reveal the advanced relationship between the leisure trade and the political sphere. It can provide us an perception into how political discourse is influenced by popular culture and vice versa.
And Taylor Swift is the most effective instance of this phenomenon a researcher might hope for.
Swiftposium is an instructional convention for students discussing the impression of Taylor Swift. It runs on the College of Melbourne from 11-13 February 2024 with public occasions on Sunday 11 February and recordings of the keynote shows out there on-line after the convention.
Banner: Taylor Swift performing her ‘Fame Period’ in Kansas Metropolis / Getty Photos
