Some of Taylor Swift’s fans want you to know three things: they’re not 16, they have careers and resources, and right now they’re angry. This is a powerful political motivator, the researchers warn.
Let’s look at what Ticketmaster made them do.
It all started on November 15. Millions of people thronged for a pre-sale of Taylor Swift’s long-awaited Eras Tour, leading to breakdowns, long waits and mass purchases.
On Thursday, Ticketmaster canceled the general sale, citing insufficient tickets remaining and sparking a storm of outrage from fans. The pop star herself said the situation “really pissed her off.”
Ticketmaster apologized, but the damage was done. And now fans — and politicians — have started to take action.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez directed the “Swifties” to a place where they could file complaints with the US Department of Justice. Multiple attorneys general — including those in Pennsylvania and Tennessee, key states in Swift’s life — have announced investigations.
A mobilizing potential
Stephanie Aly, a New York-based professional who has worked on community organizing for progressives, has believed for years that mobilizing fan communities for social progress could be beneficial.
“Fan communities are natural organizers,” the 33-year-old “Swiftie” said.
“If you find the right stakes, activate them and engage them, you can bring about real change. »
In 2020, for example, K-pop followers organized in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and sought to inflate registration for a Donald Trump rally.
Mme Aly and “Swifties” from different industries — law, public relations, cybersecurity and more — joined forces to create Vigilante Legal, a group targeting Ticketmaster that created template emails to send to attorneys general and provided information on monopolies. Thousands of people have expressed interest in helping or learning more.
“The level of anger you’ve just seen in the country around this issue is staggering,” said Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
“People are really sharing their feelings about it and creating a movement about it online, which I think is really fascinating. It is certainly an opportunity to engage people politically. It’s hard to say if this will last, but it certainly looks like a real opportunity. »
An introduction to politics
In a way, added M.me Sinzdak, it allows a large number of young Swift admirers to observe how politics takes shape. This is a demographic group rarely courted by politicians during election season.
“No one thinks, ‘Let’s target young women,'” said Gwen Nisbett, a professor at the University of North Texas who studies the intersection between political engagement and pop culture. “Whether it’s abortion or student loans, this age group is super mobilized and young women are super mobilized. »
Communities of admirers have a strong potential for mobilization. Mme Nisbett was studying parasocial relationships — when admirers have strong one-way relationships with celebrities — in 2018, when the previously apolitical Taylor Swift gave her support to Democratic candidates on social media. Professor Nisbett found that while such posts don’t determine fans’ votes, they still led to an increased likelihood that they would seek out more voting information – and actually vote.
In an in-depth survey of the American electorate, AP VoteCast showed that roughly one-third of Tennessee voters in 2018 said they had a favorable opinion of Swift, and of those, a large majority – around 7 in 10 – supported Democrat Phil Bredesen in the Senate race. This was in stark contrast to the roughly one-third of voters who had an unfavorable opinion of the singer and overwhelmingly supported Republican Marsha Blackburn.
For “Swifties,” the anger at Ticketmaster isn’t just about tickets. “It’s the fact that you can’t participate in your fan community and it’s part of who you are,” Ms.me Nisbett.
It’s not even the first time that a community or an artist has gone after Ticketmaster. Pearl Jam targeted the company in 1994, although the Justice Department ultimately declined to press charges. More recently, Bruce Springsteen fans were enraged by the high cost of tickets due to the platform’s dynamic pricing system.
Not a matter of revenge
“It’s not just about revenge, for the Swifties. It’s not about getting a million more tickets for Taylor Swift fans, or us all going to a secret session,” claimed Jordan Burger, 28, who uses his law background to help the cause. “It is a question of fundamental equality. And when you have a monopoly like that, it’s so representative of the class structure of a society where there’s no more equality, there’s no more fairness. »
The power and size of Swift’s community has sparked conversations about economic inequality, symbolized simply by Ticketmaster.
Mme Aly noted that many of the band members got tickets; the problem is bigger than Ticketmaster, she explained.
“We got comments saying, ‘It’s too big, let the government handle it.’ Have you seen the US government? Government only works when the people push it and when the people demand that it works and the people are involved,” she said. “Even when something seems too big to fail or too powerful to fail, there are still enough of us to make a difference. Your involvement may be what pushes him over the edge and compels the government to act. »
Mme Aly says many adult Swifties have 10 to 15 years of experience of bullying linked to their love for the singer – but they want more than revenge.
“We have thick skin and nothing to lose, really,” she said.