As Taylor Swift brings more than 500,000 people to her Australian tour, we've been thinking a lot about her fans. In this series, our scholars take a deep dive into fan culture – how it developed, how it operates, and how it shapes the world today.
For years, people have claimed that Elvis Presley is alive and well. The theory that his death may have been faked to escape the pressures of fame is that two years after his death, he debuted a performer who resembled Presley but performed while wearing a mask, and his records Even the company was provoked.
Of course, it was all a publicity stunt.
In the digital age, we don't need media or record label propaganda to advocate conspiracy theories. Social media acts as a platform and amplifier for fan-driven conspiracy theories.
Have you heard that Canadian singer Avril Lavigne has passed away and been replaced by a shadowy figure named Melissa Vandella? Perhaps you've seen the TikTok theory that American actor Lea Michele can't read? do you have?
For years, people who claimed Britney Spears was being held in a conservatorship against her will were considered fringe conspiracy theorists. However, legal cases have proven this to be substantially true. In recent years, Taylor Swift has mobilized cryptic clues to inform her fans of upcoming album and tour announcements, in some ways prompting fans to develop conspiracy theories about what she'll do next. That is famous.
This brings us to one of the most satisfying aspects of conspiracy theories. That said, in some cases, conspiracy theories may just be right.
Read more: Shame, intimacy and community: Fangirls are ridiculed, but it's more complicated than you think
Decoding Taylor Swift
When we think of conspiracy theories, we tend to think of theories that cause harm to society, such as QAnon and coronavirus-related conspiracies. But conspiracy theories increasingly include many of the everyday acts of celebrity and fan culture.
An investigation into the way Swift interacts with her fans reveals that her fans are not necessarily delusional. This phrase was popularized by fans to playfully refer to “delusion'' when it comes to conspiracy theories. The release of 1989 (Taylor's version) was predicted by fans on social media by meticulously interpreting clues such as color-coded tour outfits, important dates, and social media footprints left by the singer. it was done.
Another popular conspiracy theory among Swift fans is the “lost album.”
Before the release of Reputation in 2017, Swift was on a clockwork album release schedule of one every two years. But between 1989 and Reputation he had just over three years. The extra space between these release dates gave rise to the theory that an album called Karma was “missing.”
In one scene in the music video for her 2019 song “The Man,” the word “Karma” is written in orange graffiti on a wall alongside Swift's other albums, and next to it “Missing.” UNKNOWN: If found, please return to Taylor Swift.''
Swift's albums are color-coded, and orange is the color fans chose to associate with lost albums. At the end of Era's tour show, Swift sings “Karma,” a song from his latest album, Midnights, before exiting through an orange door.
Fans insist that all the clues are there, that Karma is the missing album, and that maybe, just maybe, Swift is reminding observant fans that they were right all along and that there's a new album coming next. It may be telling us that it is “karma''.
Read more: From message board Deadheads to Taylor Swift's 'Stance': A little history of how fandom shaped the internet
internet archive
Fan conspiracy theories create a sense of mass intimacy. Swift has frequently joked that she “sees everything” her fans do and say online, creating a genuine dialogue of call-and-response between fan theorizing and Swift's output. It creates a feeling of
Social media has revolutionized our relationships with celebrities, changing our expectations regarding access to and intimacy with them.
A celebrity's social media presence is necessary to market themselves in a crowded market, and fans will have access to more digital traces and data points of a celebrity's behavior for analysis and analysis. . The Internet acts as a vast collective archive, storing and producing a seemingly endless amount of “evidence.”
But there are also trade-offs. In recent days, heated public debates about Swift's private life have prompted her camp to push back against “invasive, false and inappropriate” speculation about her sexuality.
Read more: 'Shipping', 'slash fiction' and 'gayler': Fans can find community by 'queering' their idols, but is it ethical?
Community building
Platforms create opportunities for fans to collaboratively analyze evidence, share theories, and gain recognition for their “expertise” within the fandom. Whether it's art or sports, the pleasure of feeling like an expert has long been part of fandom.
Conspiracy theorizing can activate many of the collective pleasures of fandom, including insider expertise, community building, and the sense of discovery that comes with perusing important texts.
Understanding the pleasures of conspiracy theories about celebrities can provide insight into the lure of more harmful conspiracies. There's a big difference between QAnon and celebrity conspiracy theorists, but participants in both seek community, the satisfaction of “putting the pieces together,” and expertise.
Research shows that conspiracies have almost infinite flexibility. When one aspect is disproved or fails, boundaries shift and change to encompass and explain the contradictory.
Fans were far more successful when they failed to predict the 1989 release (Taylor's version). Each failure meant going back to clues, rereading and reinterpreting signs. Even if fans ultimately succeed in “predicting” the announcement, if they are not successful, the failure will simply be folded into a broader horizon of speculation.
Read more: From Harry Potter to Taylor Swift: How millennial women grew up with fandom and became influential
