You Belong with Me: What Communication Professionals Can Learn from Swifties

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

2024

You Belong with Me: What Communication Professionals Can You Belong with Me: What Communication Professionals Can

Learn from Swifties Learn from Swifties

Rachel Belle Johnson

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You Belong with Me: What Communication Professionals Can Learn from Swifties

Rachel B. Johnson

Thesis submitted to the Reed College of Media at West Virginia University

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master’s in Journalism

Geah Pressgrove, Ph. D., Chair

Brian Donovan, Ph. D.

Julia Fraustino, Ph. D.

Elizabeth Oppe, Ph. D.

Department of Journalism

Morgantown, WV

2024

Keywords: Fandom, Computer-Mediated Communication, Taylor Swift

ABSTRACT

You Belong with Me: What Communication Professionals Can Learn from Swifties

Rachel Johnson

Pop powerhouse Taylor Swift has managed to create a dedicated fanbase that has the

power to disrupt national sporting leagues and boost the American economy. Her Swifties are an

exemplar in the world of fandom. Taylor Swift’s online interactions with fans, especially in the

early days of her career, are partially responsible for her success in creating and maintaining this

fanbase. Using principles of social informational processing theory (SIPT), this research

examines what aspects of Taylor Swift’s computer-mediated communication with fans have

fostered such intense feelings of community in her fandom of Swifties. Using in-depth

interviews to explore the relationships formed between fans online themes of positivity,

relatability and a genuine love for Swift’s music emerged. Additionally, mixed feelings on the

use of online communication were present, but overall online spaces function as a positive

meeting grounds for fans. The insights gained from this research informed best practices for

communication professionals attempting to communicate with consumers (fans) online.

iii

Table of Contents

Prologue………………………………………………………………………………………..1

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….1

Literature Review………………………………………………………………………………2

Method…………………………………………………………………………………………15

Findings…………………..……………………………………………………………………18

Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………34

Limitations and Future Research……………………………………………………………….43

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...44

References………………………………………………………………………………………45

Appendix

Appendix A: Call for participation……………………………………………………..58

Appendix B: Email with screening questions…………………………………………..59

Appendix C: Screening questions…………………………..…………………………..60

Appendix D: Confirmation email……………………..………………………………..61

Appendix E: Informed consent………………………………………………………….62

Appendix F: Interview script…………………………….………………………………63

Appendix G: Interview transcripts………………………………………………………69

Appendix H: List of themes……………………………………………………………..154

Appendix I: Spreadsheet of themes and quotes…………………………………………155

Prologue

“How long would you say you spend in online Swiftie spaces per week?”

“Oh, God.”

A smile spreads across her face as she giggles and explains how she spends at least three

hours a day online talking about Taylor Swift. She goes on to explain with the joyful intensity of

a conspiracy theorist how she and her online friends will dissect every piece of content Taylor

Swift puts out from song lyrics to emojis in captions. And they aren’t alone. Millions of young

women find themselves in community with others in these online fandom spaces surrounding

Taylor Swift.

Introduction

Taylor Swift, Times’s 2023 “Person of the Year,” (Lansky, 2023) is a pop singer whose

audience is largely composed of young women and teen girls (Jaksa, 2022). She holds the record

for most concert tickets sold by an artist in a single day (Samra, 2022). Taylor Swift’s fandom,

colloquially known as Swifties, broke Ticketmaster the day tickets for her current tour, The Eras

Tour, went on sale due to the number of people trying to get tickets. When young women are a

fan of something, they have a seismic impact. While fandoms have been around as long as there

have been media to be a fan of, in the 21st century many of these fandom communities live

online (Vicente, 2022). In these online communities, fans can engage with other fans on a scale

like never before. Because of social media and computer-mediated communication, fans now

have the ability to communicate directly with their favorite celebrities and meet other fans who

share the same interests (Sowerby, 2019). Many fandoms even have their own secret language

for communicating online (Methods+Mastery, 2021). These online communities allow fans to

form connections with each other and develop a deeper connection with each other (Walther,

2015) and with the media or celebrity they are a fan of (Galloway, 2020).

Through the connections formed in these online fandom spaces, consumers have the

potential to interact with other fans and discuss their shared love of fandom (Vicente, 2022).

Understanding this online communication is crucial for communicators, and social interpersonal

processing theory (SIPT) explores how those online connections are formed. This theory states

that if enough time is given, interpersonal connections can form online that are just as significant

as those formed in person. Additionally, social informational processing theory states that people

are intrinsically motivated to connect and because of this they will find ways to make up for the

lack of non-verbal cues in online communication (Walther, 1996).

Taylor Swift is able to effectively communicate with her fans online, and brands have

tried to replicate the mania created by Taylor Swift’s online fandom with varying degrees of

success (Carter, 2023). The insights gained from this research have the potential to benefit

communications professionals trying to create an online community around their brand,

especially for brands trying to reach young women. This qualitative research examines how

online fandoms, specifically the Taylor Swift fandom, utilize online spaces to form connections

with one another. Using in-depth interviews as the method, this study seeks to better understand

the most effective way to utilize online communication when trying to connect with fans.

Literature Review

Fandoms

Fandom is a way for people to engage with media (Duffet, 2013) and can be defined as

“communities built around a shared enjoyment of an aspect of popular culture, such as books,

movies, TV shows, bands, sports or sports teams, etc.” (Hanflaer, n.d., para 1). While fandoms

are often composed of thousands, possibly millions of people, Kevin Kelly theorizes that a

creator can be profitable with as few as 1,000 “true” fans consuming their content regularly

(Kelly 2008; H, 2020). This demonstrates the power fans hold and why communication

professionals should view fans as valued consumers. The first step to understanding fandoms is

to examine the history of fandoms and where they exist in the present day. This creates a

baseline for how and why fandoms have the power to affect a person’s identity and help foster a

sense of community. As seen with the Swifties, when people enjoy a celebrity, they can exhibit

fanatical behavior. Fandoms are examples of participatory culture where fans are not just

consumers, but also active participants in the creation of and conversation surrounding media

(Hanflaer, n.d.)

Obsessive fan behaviors are not new to this century or unique to the U.S., and there is a

historical precedent for fangirls. In the early 19

century, obsessive theater fans would wait at

train stations excitedly hoping for the chance to catch a glimpse of their favorite actress even

chasing the train as it left the station just to be near her for a few more seconds. Fans of the

Polish theater actress, Modrzejewska, would kiss the ground she walked on as if they worshiped

her (Łuksza, 2022). Moving forward a couple of centuries, the concept of "bedroom culture,"

where teen girls created shrines covered in posters and memorabilia, emerged. (Anderson, 2012).

But this behavior does not only apply to teen girls. Continued involvement in fandom from one’s

teenage years can ignite feelings of reclaimed youth later in life (Anderson, 2012).

In addition to theater and music, fandoms also exist for movies and the image of what a

fan can be has shifted over time. In the early ought of film, a “screen-struck” fan girl, was

thought to be a young white woman who was head over heels for movies and had hopes to one

day be on the screen herself. She was vapid and youthfully naïve (Anselmo-Sequeri, 2015). This

image of a fangirl is not dissimilar to Łuksza’s image of the fanatical Polish theater fans in the

19th century (Anselmo-Sequeri, 2015). Yet in the present day, fan girls have demonstrated that

their admiration has the power to make a large impact on society. In the summer of 2023 media

geared toward women, including Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” movie, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour

and Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour, dominated pop culture and boosted the American economy.

(Qureshi, 2023). The concept of fans and fandom has been around as long as there has been

media. As society and technologies evolve, so do fandoms. And while fandom still exists in

physical forms like posters on bedroom walls or teen girls stalking a celebrity's whereabouts,

many fandoms have found themselves creating spaces to congregate online.

Online spaces allow fans to get even more interactive with the media they enjoy and

sometimes fans may take their enjoyment for the media into their own hands. Some fans will

create their own content using characters from media they enjoy creating narratives that may

stray from the plot of the original media (Burwell, 2015). Fan-created content can mean a lot to

fans and gives them agency over their interest to take the media they love into their own hands.

For example, Gossip Girl, a pillar of the cultural zeitgeist in the early 2000s, spurred a lot of fan-

created content, including short videos made by fans about the show. These videos include fans

taking clips from the show and editing them to make the media take on new meaning. This could

include fans taking scenes of the two main characters and editing them so that they appear to be

more than friends (Burwell, 2015). Videos are a powerful tool for bringing fans together as

demonstrated by Taylor Swift fans using YouTube to share collections of Taylor Swift-themed

musical greeting cards (Galloway, 2020). Fans collect these greeting cards as a way to show their

appreciation for Taylor Swift and to show other fans how involved they are in the fandom. These

Swifties use YouTube to create intimate connections with each other. Both online in the present

day and offline in the past, people are motivated to be a part of fandoms because they seek the

connection of other fans. Whether it is a group of friends chasing down trains or swapping video

edits of their favorite TV shows, young women have been engaging with each other over

fandoms for centuries with no signs of slowing down.

One of the appeals of joining a fandom comes from the fandom’s ability to help create

communities. Involvement in fandoms has the potential to shape the identity of teenagers. This is

the case in the adolescent music fan community (Lacasa et al., 2017). Lacasa defines fans as

“people who have a positive emotional relationship with something or someone famous, such as

a celebrity” (Lacasa et al. 2017, p. 51). This definition is important to studying fan cultures

because it provides a framework for what a fan is. This shaping of identity extends beyond

teenagers, however, and can turn into lifelong worship (Leski, 2018).

Research has also found that fandoms create a space for often marginalized communities

such as female sports fans (Kunert, 2019) and LGBTQ youth (McInroy and Craig, 2020;

McInroy, Zapic and Beer, 2022) to connect and find representation in a way uncommon in other

forms of mainstream media. Oftentimes, these online fandom communities center around

specific celebrities. Because of the availability and perceived proximity to celebrities on social

media, fans are motivated to participate in online fandom culture (Bennet, 2012).

Taylor Swift’s Impact

Currently, one of the most recognizable and impactful fandoms is the Swifties— fans of

Taylor Swift. With success that rivals Michael Jackson and The Beatles, (McIntyre, 2023) it is

evident that Swifties are the gold standard for fandom engagement online. “In an era of fleeting

internet fame, Swift’s consistent connection with her fans proves she’s not just a passing trend

but an enduring icon in the music industry,” (Robertson, 2023).

Born on December 13, 1989, Taylor Swift has been making waves in pop culture since

she first came onto the country music scene in 2006 with her self-titled debut album. Since then,

she has remained a constant in the cultural zeitgeist. She has played the role of America’s

sweetheart, a coldblooded serial dater, a jaded ex-girlfriend (Delbyck, 2016), an outspoken

feminist (Wilson, 2020), a country music darling, and a pop music sensation (Chilton, 2021). But

through it all one thing has remained true: no one is doing it like Taylor Swift. Her fandom,

affectionately known as Swifties, is a passionate group sometimes bordering on rabid that can

overwhelm entities such as Ticketmaster, Google and most recently the NFL. A Swiftie can be

defined as a person who is a fan of Taylor Swift. They listen to her music, try to attend her

concerts, buy her merchandise and communicate with other fans about how much they like

Taylor Swift.

Before Swift was shattering records and breaking the internet, she was a young musician

who loved her fans and stayed relatively quiet on social issues. Many people assumed Swift’s

views were conservative based on her place in country music (Driessen, 2020). Then in 2018,

Swift made a statement in support of LGBTQ+ rights and urged her fans to register to vote and

sign petitions supporting LGBTQ+ people. (Driessen, 2021). Many of her fans supported this

declaration of allyship. Swift took a chance when she shared her political leanings, something

she previously stayed away from (Wilson, 2020), and her fans rewarded her by applauding her

for using her voice. This strengthened her already dedicated fanbase and drew in support from

others. Beyond Swift’s stance on social issues, fans also take a special interest in Swift’s

personal life.

In early September 2023, rumors started circulating online that Swift was dating Kansas

City Chiefs’ tight-end Travis Kelce. This came after Kelce stated he tried to give Swift a

friendship bracelet with his phone number at her record-shattering Eras Tour. The significance of

the friendship bracelet comes from a campaign started by fans online. When Swift announced

she would be embarking on her Eras Tour, fans online proposed that concertgoers make

friendship bracelets to trade with each other at the concert. The inspiration came from a line in

her song “You’re on Your Own Kid,” in which Swift tells listeners to “Make the friendship

bracelets, take the moment and taste it,” (Swift, 2022). Swift herself encouraged fans to make

and trade bracelets and now the craft has become synonymous with Swiftie culture (Aniftos,

2023). What started as an online fan project led to a superstar NFL tight end making a friendship

bracelet. On Sunday, September 24, 2023, Kelce-Swift dating rumors were confirmed when

Swift was spotted in Arrowhead Stadium watching Kelce play. This appearance had a mega

effect on both Kelce and the NFL as a whole. Sales for Kelce’s jersey spiked 400% the Monday

following Swift’s appearance at his game (Morgan, 2023). Additionally, the NFL’s TikTok

announcing that Usher would be playing the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime show, which was

announced the same day as Swift’s visit to Kansas City, received 1.8 million views 24 hours

after being posted while a video of Taylor Swift sitting in a viewing box at the Chiefs' game

received 10.9 million views and video of her leaving the stadium with Kelce received 18 million

views (TikTok, 2023).

Some may query how an NFL star was pining for a pop star whose fan base is mostly

teenage girls. Kelce first saw Swift when she stopped in Kansas City for her Eras Tour. This tour

has consistently broken records and even caused seismic activity from fans cheering (Morgan,

2023). But this tour was creating waves even before it started. The demand was so high that the

Ticket Master website briefly shut down the day tickets went on sale because so many people

were trying to secure seats to watch Taylor Swift perform songs from all 10 of her albums for

over three hours.

Swift is no stranger to her fans overloading websites. On September 19, 2023, Swift

encouraged fans to Google her name and solve puzzles about her to unveil the names of tracks

that would be included on “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” a rerecording of her “1989” album that

originally came out in 2014. One way Swift has captivated her fanbase after nearly two decades

of making music is through rerecording her music. What started as a passion project for Swift to

own her earlier releases became a beloved way for fans to reminisce on the music that made

them fall in love with Taylor Swift. With each rerecording, she also releases songs “From the

Vault,” which did not make it onto the original album. Not only does this incentivize fans to

stream the new versions over the old versions, but it also gives fans new music quicker than they

would receive it in a typical two-year album cycle. Swift promised fans that if they could solve

33 million-word puzzles relating to her life and the “1989” album, she would tell fans the names

of the five vault tracks on “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” (Ma, 2023). Fans exceeded the goal in

under 24 hours.

Creating chaos by revealing song titles is not new to online Swifties. In the fall of 2022,

Taylor Swift announced she would release a brand-new album called “Midnights,” (Willman,

2022). This sent fans into a frenzy. Many fans assumed Swift would not release any brand-new

music until she had completed all the re-recordings of her older albums, and at the time of the

announcement she had only released two of the six albums. So, when fans heard they were

getting never-before-heard music from Taylor Swift, they wanted as much information as

possible. Rather than following a traditional album promotion strategy by releasing the track list

and a few singles, Swift played a game on TikTok. In her video series “Midnights Mayhem with

Me,” Swift randomly selected numbered ping pong balls corresponding to tracks on the album.

She then revealed the name of the song title. (Swift, 2022). The series was a hit, with each video

receiving millions of likes. This further demonstrates that Swifties are a massive force in popular

culture and strongly support all of Swift’s endeavors (Medina and Montell, 2022). From

inspiring football stars to do arts and crafts to breaking the internet Swift has been commanding

the pop cultural mise-en-scene since 2006. How is it possible that a 33-year-old country singer

turned pop star from West Reading, Pennsylvania created such a loyal and enthusiastic fan base?

While a large part of Swift’s success is due to her stellar songwriting abilities and

undeniable stage presence, she would not be anywhere without her fans. There are several things

Swift has done over the years to connect with her fans including everything from sending them

Christmas presents (Wang, 2014) to inviting them to her house to bake cookies and listen to

unreleased albums (Laura, 2014). Many of these connections were formed online. In the early

days of Swift’s rise to fame, it was not uncommon for fans to personally interact with her on

social media sites such as Tumblr, Instagram and Twitter. She would stalk their accounts and

make note of their hobbies, concert attendance and daily lives (an activity fans lovingly called

“Taylurking”) (Weber, 2014). Through Swift’s online searching, she would identify fans to meet

up with in person or send gifts to. Although Swift is not as hyperactive online as she was in the

formative years of her career, she still posts, likes and comments enough to keep fans engaged.

In addition to Swift’s personal scrolling, her official fan page, Taylor Nation, is incredibly active

on social media. Many Swifties consider it a badge of honor to be noticed online by Taylor

Nation, almost as much as being recognized by Taylor herself (Swiftie Forever, 2018). All of

these things helped forge longtime fans’ unwavering support for Swift. Many Swifties do not just

see Taylor as an artist they adore, but as a friend they want to support (Robertson, 2023). Taylor

Swift’s connection with her fanbase is a large contributing factor to her success, and

communication professionals should use it as an exemplar for their own online communication

strategy. Thus, this research will seek to answer the following question.

RQ 1: What can communication professionals learn from Swifties about creating fans via

computer-mediated communication?

It is these connections, formed online, that make Swifties so loyal to Taylor Swift and

make them want to organize in masse to crash search engines and force the National Football

League to cater to a young female audience. These relationships were able to form online

because they were given enough time, there was a potential for future interactions, and they had

the ability to become hyperpersonal— all aspects of social information processing theory.

Social Information Processing Theory

In the early days of the internet and computer-mediated communication (CMC), it was

believed that online communication would be impersonal and could not facilitate the formation

of interpersonal relationships the way in-person communication could (Walther, 1996).

Furthermore, people assumed without the presence of nonverbal cues it would be impossible to

convey feelings properly. This cues-filtered-out approach viewed CMC negatively and doubted

its ability to facilitate intimate relationships (Kim, 2005). However, in 1992, Joseph B. Walther

introduced the social information processing theory (SIPT) which theorizes that if enough time is

given, interpersonal relationships can form through CMC. Additionally, SIPT postulates that if

users anticipate future interactions, they are more motivated to form connections (Walther,

1996). As for the lack of nonverbal cues, textual symbols can translate these nonverbal cues into

something verbal. Using emojis in text can influence emotional communication, social

attributions and information processing (Boutet et al. 2019). In addition to these cues, online

communities, specifically fandoms can develop their own language to communicate with other

members of the fandom online (Methods+Mastery, 2021). If people are motivated to connect as

Walther theorizes, then it explains why people communicating online are motivated to adapt to

the available cues (emojis, tone indicators, etc.) since they do not have access to the non-verbal

cues that are available in face-to-face communication. The desire to adapt is what supports

community building online.

If over time a sufficient amount of communication and exchanges take place, CMC is as

effective at developing impressions and managing interpersonal relations as face-to-face

interaction (Walther, 1996). This means that despite not having access to nonverbal cues that are

considered necessary to forming connections, communicators can overcome the barriers of

communicating in an online medium. Time is a huge factor in developing relationships via CMC

as connections can take four times longer to form over CMC than in person. SIPT assumes that

there are several ways to express emotions, attitudes and other characteristics that are important

to interpersonal connection. This includes things like GIFs, emojis and textual cues, such as

ellipses for sarcasm or exclamation points for excitement, to indicate tone to help receivers

determine the meaning of a message without the presence of non-verbal cues. Social

interpersonal processing theory also assumes that people are, in general, intrinsically motivated

to develop a connection (Walther, 2015).

Hyperpersonal Model

The hyperpersonal model of CMC that SIPT informs assumes that the level of intimacy

in online relationships can exceed that of in-person relationships (Walther et al., 2015). There are

three phases to CMC according to SIPT— impersonal, interpersonal and hyperpersonal (Walther

et al., 2015). The impersonal phase is where relationships formed via CMC begin. The

interpersonal phase is where if enough time is given relationships formed online can be as

personal as relationships formed face-to-face. The hyperpersonal phase is unique to CMC

because Walther theorizes that the online format may invite users to be even more open than they

would in person. Since CMC allows users to present themselves in whatever manner they would

like, and interpret messages in whatever manner they would like, online interactions may

facilitate an even more intimate connection.

There are four components to the hyperpersonal model of CMC—receivers, senders,

channel and feedback. The receiver in CMC must make assumptions about the sender without

the help of non-verbal cues, so they may over-attribute certain characteristics of messages to the

characteristics of the sender. Simply stated— when interacting online the receivers of messages

can choose what parts of a message they want to attribute to the sender's character or personality

and what parts they want to ignore.

This can be seen in the Swiftie fandom with Taylor Swift’s habit of leaving “Easter

eggs,” for fans to find that may hint at future projects. While it is true that Swift leaves hidden

messages for her fans (Merinuk, 2022)(Hernandez, 2012) in things like album covers and music

video visuals, eagle-eyed mega fans will attribute things as simple as a hat she is wearing to a

hint about secret guests on her next album. The receivers (Swifties) want to feel connected to the

sender (Taylor Swift) therefore they search for things in her messages that can create a message

they want to receive (guest stars on albums).

In online communication, it is easier for the person receiving the message to interpret the

message favorably if they choose to do so. In CMC the sender can practice selective self-

presentation by only revealing information about themselves they want. On TikTok, for example,

content creators can create personas for their videos that appeal to their audience, thus fostering a

sense of intimacy (Sot, 2020). CMC users can benefit from the channel they are using to

communicate by using the asynchronous nature of CMC to their advantage. They have time to

edit messages and ensure whatever message they are sending reflects on them favorably.

Feedback in CMC intensifies the sender and receiver components. Since the receiver receives a

selectively presented version of the sender, feedback can amplify the sender’s desire to be

selective in self-presentation (Walther et al., 2015). The receiver has the ability to idealize the

person sending the message. (Utz, 2000).

SIPT has been used in research relating to online dating (Ellison, 2006)(Madill, 2011)

online marketing (Subramani and Rajagopalan, 2003) and social media (Jahng and Littau, 2016)

(Qureshi et al., 2021). Regarding online dating, SIPT suggests that users will adapt to a lack of

nonverbal cues and pick up on other things such as spelling errors to form opinions about the

sender (Ellison, 2006). Additionally, Madill (2010) builds on Walther’s theory that some people

may become more personal in online interactions than in face-to-face interactions. As previously

mentioned SIPT theorizes that one of the ways CMC can lead to more personal connections is

the ability for the sender to present themselves in whatever way they want to the receiver. In

online dating, this means the sender can optimize their chances of finding a partner by only self-

disclosing things that will make them seem attractive to the other person.

Regarding online marketing, SIPT offers a lens to examine the importance of online

spaces when forming interpersonal relationships (Subramani and Rajagopalan, 2003). CMC is

beneficial in online marketing for its ability to provide both synchronous and asynchronous

communication allowing influencers and marketers to access their audience around the clock

(Subramani and Rajagopalan, 2003). As for social media, Jahng and Littau (2016) used SIPT to

explore how users on Twitter viewed the credibility of journalists. They found that participants

deemed highly interactive journalists as more credible than those who were not. This reaffirms

the part of SIPT that states time is an important factor in forming connections online. This is not

exclusive to Twitter. Microblogs on social media that were more active were viewed as more

credible (Qureshi et al., 2021). While SIPT states that time is a key factor in determining if

connections can form via CMC, Quershi et al. (2021) expand on this by demonstrating that the

number of times a sender sends messages can create a positive opinion of the sender.

Guo and Goh (2014) refined Walther’s SIPT by examining more detailed components of

CMC such as informational messages and socio-emotional messages in the context of online

support groups for health-related issues. Guo and Goh (2014) coded messages in an online HIV

support group as either informational or socio-emotional and found that socio-emotional

messages were more prevalent. They also found that over time messages to the larger group

decreased in number due to people forming connections and messaging each other directly. This

supports SIPT’s argument that with time and intention, communication via CMC can create

interpersonal relationships. Similarly, to how Guo and Goh used SIPT to inform their research of

communication in online communities for health-related issues, this research will examine

communication in online communities for fandoms.

Online spaces are uniquely situated to facilitate fandom communities. Since fandoms

often idolize a piece of media or celebrity, it makes sense that the nature of online

communication, which allows for hyperpersonal communication, is a logical place for fandom

communities to reside. Additionally, some people may be embarrassed to be associated with a

fandom (Hills, 2000) or distrustful of people outside of the fandom community (Jenkins, 2012)

and the anonymity provided online may resolve this. Finally, many people in fandoms seek

connections and as SIPT demonstrates online spaces are a useful place for this. This research will

further examine what is beneficial about online communication to fandoms to answer the

following research question.

RQ 2: What unique aspects of computer-mediated communication make fandoms want

to congregate there?

Additionally, since the online Swiftie fandom has demonstrated numerous times that their

adoration for Taylor Swift is strong enough to break the internet, this research will also explore

why Swifties are fans of Taylor and how being an online Swiftie affects their feelings toward

Taylor Swift.

RQ 3: How, if at all, do Swifties’ online interactions with other Swifties affect their

perceptions of Taylor Swift and consumption of Taylor Swift’s content?

This research uses SIPT as a framework and Swifties as an example for creating lifelong

fans. This can inform best practices for communication professionals when interacting with

clients or fans in online communities.

Methods

This study is exploratory in nature therefore qualitative research using in-depth

interviews is the preferred method of research. Intensive or in-depth interviews (IDI) are one-on-

one conversations of about 60 minutes that allow the participant to answer open-ended questions

and discuss their thoughts, feelings and motivations (Zhou and Sloan, 2015).

This method was picked because it allows participants to express feelings of connection

in a way quantitative research would not. The study of online culture and fandoms is still

developing, so collecting data through interactive discussion allowed for deeper insight into the

topic. Prior research has examined Taylor Swift’s impact, the way interpersonal relationships are

formed online and the importance of fandoms. This research expands upon all these things and

use the findings to draw conclusions about the best practices for communication professionals

attempting to create and engage with fans online.

Sample

Swift’s fanbase is largely made up of young women and teenage girls, with 78% of her

fans falling in the 18-34-year-old age demographic and 61.5% identifying as female (Jaksa,

2022). For this reason, the research specifically focused on women ages 18-34 who are

considered experts in the field. To qualify as an expert, the participants must have identified as

Swifties who listen to Taylor Swift’s music, follow her online and be involved in online fandom

communities. These young women must have been active in at least one online fandom space

through posting, liking, commenting, re-blogging or otherwise interacting in these spaces. For

the purpose of the study, the sample was pulled from #SwiftTok on TikTok and R/Taylor Swift

on Reddit. These spaces were chosen because Swifties actively congregate there and content is

easily spread to a wide audience. On TikTok, #SwiftTok is a way for content creators to mark

videos as relating to Taylor Swift, and it is a space for Swifties on TikTok to connect. On Reddit,

R/Taylor Swift is the Reddit thread dedicated to discussions about anything related to Taylor

Swift. When selecting participants, the researcher attempted to take a purposeful sampling

approach to ensure that a range of races, geographic locations and ages within the chosen

demographic are selected.

For in-depth interviews, 11 women ages 20-34 from across the country who are

considered experts in the field of online Swiftie culture were selected from the aforementioned

online communities. As Zhou and Sloan (2015) stated when repetition of themes occurs, no more

interviews need to be conducted. Saturation can be reached within nine to 17 interviews

(Hennick and Kaiser, 2022). To find these experts, the researcher explored the aforementioned

online spaces, and identified and recruited Swifties who fell in the chosen demographic. Based

on who the researcher was able to coordinate interviews with 82% of participants self-identified

as white and 73% of participants self-identified as straight. Participants were located across the

United States with 18% of participants residing in the West region, 18% from the Midwest, 18%

from the South, 27% from the East Coast and 18% from Appalachia. All Swifties interviewed

have been in the fandom for at least three years.

Procedure

To recruit the sample, a call was put out on #SwiftTok on TikTok for participants

(Appendix A). After a month of recruiting on TikTok a sufficient sample was not reached, so an

additional call was put on Reddit (Appendix A1). Eventually the call on TikTok began picking

up traction and a sufficient sample was reached. From there, interested people were contacted via

email (Appendix B) to answer screening questions to determine eligibility (Appendix C). After

identifying eligible experts, the researcher selected participants, (Appendix D) obtained consent

(Appendix E) and interviewed each expert. These interviews lasted between 30 and 60 minutes

and were recorded. During the interviews, the researcher took field notes acknowledging things

such as the participant's body language and tone of voice. These interviews were conducted via

the online video calling software, Zoom, using a semi-structured interview script (Appendix F).

Interview questions addressed the larger research questions posed in this study. Upon

completion, interviews were transcribed (Appendix G), cleaned and coded by a human coder to

generate a list of themes to analyze.

Analysis

As interviews were completed and transcribed the researcher cleaned the transcripts and

added jottings and memos. Jottings included anything that immediately emerged from the

transcripts as being related to SIPT or the research questions. Memos included any emerging

patterns in the data or relevant insight. Notations were also made at the top of each transcript

indicating the anything particularly interesting about the subject, interview subject’s age, where

they were from, what fandom space they were recruited from and what year or album era they

joined the fandom.

After the transcripts were cleaned, the researcher developed coding categories in two

cycles using a blend of inductive and deductive coding. In the first cycle, the researcher reviewed

transcripts, jottings and memos to inductively identify recurring themes in how Swifties felt

about their online interactions. The researcher also coded deductively using themes from SIPT

such as time, textual cues and promise of future meetings (Walther, 1996). After a codes were

established, a second cycle of coding took place where the researcher reviewed the transcripts

again and condensed codes into themes (Appendix H) by noting recurring concepts that emerged

from quotes (Rosala, 2019). These groups of quotes representing themes were put in a

spreadsheet (Appendix I) in which each row represents a different theme. The quotes in the

spreadsheet were color-coded based on which era they joined the fandom in or how long they

have been a fan of Taylor Swift. The purpose of color coding by the amount of time they have

been a fan of Taylor Swift was to assess if time impacts feelings of connection.

Using a constant comparison method, the researcher continually examined themes from

across interviews to ensure they were relevant and accurately reflected the data. This helps

triangulate and reduce potential subjectivity. Additionally, findings were triangulated by

referencing findings back to the widely accepted themes in SIPT. After themes were identified

and grouped in the spreadsheet, the researcher found commonalities between themes while also

referencing back to the literature to explain the connection between themes and situate the

findings within the larger body of work surrounding Taylor Swift, fandoms and online

communication. Then, using the insights gained from those themes the researcher drew

conclusions about why fans feel connected to Taylor Swift and other Swifties and how online

communication intensifies that connection. This resulted in a list of key takeaways for

communication professionals attempting to connect with fans online.

Findings

The key insights derived from this research have the potential to inform communication

professionals of ways to form and cultivate relationships online. This will expand the scholarship

about fandom and online communication and demonstrate how professional communicators can

learn from successful online fandoms such as Swifties. Several themes relating to each of the

research questions emerged from the interviews. The findings for each research question are

presented in the following section. Direct quotes from each of the interview participants are

presented to support the themes.

RQ 1: What can communication professionals learn from Swifties about creating

fans via computer-mediated communication?

When examining what aspects of Taylor Swift’s online communication created such a strong

fanbase, themes of relatability, positivity, organic authenticity and hidden messages emerged.

The Relatability of Taylor Swift. Despite being a billionaire pop star who is dating an

NFL superstar, Swift's fans still find her relatable. Many Swifties acknowledged that although

Taylor Swift lives a very different life from them, her lyrics and personality make her seem

relatable. A 22-year-old Swiftie from New York who has been a fan since her “Red,” album in

2012 said, “I think she's very good at really capturing moments and feelings that are kind of

universal to the human experience.” A 24-year-old Swiftie from D.C who has been a fan since

Taylor’s “Red,” album in 2012 said she felt Taylor had a song for every single situation. A 30-

year-old-Swiftie from the West Coast said, “I like how emotionally vulnerable she is in her

music.” In addition to her music, Swifties also felt that Taylor Swift’s online persona made it

easier to relate to her. A 33-year-old Swiftie from Missouri who has been a fan since Taylor’s

debut album in 2006 said, “I like that she's just kind of goofy, and she's relatable.” The universal

human experiences Swift captures in her content—both in her songs and social media posts—

help her fans relate to and connect with her. Because fans see Taylor Swift as a person they can

relate to, they are motivated to engage with her online.

The Positivity of Taylor Swift. In addition to her relatability, fans also enjoy the

positivity within the Swiftie fandom. They find that Taylor Swift is a positive individual and her

content inspires positivity within the fandom. “I feel like it's just positive because she spreads a

positive message, and we like that it radiates off of her,” a 21-year-old Swiftie from Colorado

who has been a fan since 2006 said. Another fan noted that she felt Taylor was able to maintain

her positivity in times of adversity, noting a scandal in 2016 where many people turned against

her because of false information shared by Kanye West. This came about after Kanye West

released a song calling Taylor Swift a derogatory term and Swift released a statement expressing

her disapproval of the lyric. West retorted by releasing a video of Swift giving her consent to the

lyric. The internet quickly took to calling Swift a liar and a snake. On Twitter

#taylorswiftisoverparty started trending. Years later Swift was able to prove that the video was

edited but remained out of the public eye for a long time after the incident.

I'm also a big fan of her character in general and the way that she carries herself. Whether

she's going through something really positive in life or when she's going through

something really hard like when #taylorswiftisoverparty was trending. I just think she

carried herself really gracefully during all those times. (26-year-old Swiftie from the

Midwest who has been a fan since Taylor’s “Speak Now,” album in 2010)

Overall, Swifties felt that the fandom was a positive place. This positivity encouraged them to

stay engaged in the fandom.

Taylor Swift’s Organic Authenticity. Building off of Swift’s relatability and positivity

is the idea that Taylor Swift is in control of her own social media persona. There are several

definitions of authenticity that span across disciplines, and for the purpose of this study

authenticity refers to the belief that the content being produced is genuine and coming from the

brand putting it out. In the case of Taylor Swift and her Swifties this comes by way of Taylor

putting out vulnerable content that, as previously mentioned, many fans find relatable. One thing

that fans noted when talking about Swift’s online presence is that it felt genuine and like she was

the one behind it. While many recognized that Swift uses her social media to promote her brand,

they appreciated that all the content she put out felt true to her as a person. This was also

accompanied by the acknowledgment that Taylor Swift is a person but also a brand. Despite this,

fans consider the content she creates to be authentic to her.

I think I was still somewhat aware that this is somewhat of a marketing tool for her, but

she didn't have to use it if she didn't want to, and that some of the ways that she was

interacting with people felt, and probably were, very genuine. (Twenty-seven-year-old

Swiftie from New York who has been a fan since 2012)

A 26-year-old Swiftie from the Midwest who has been a fan since 2010 said, “It makes me feel

like she really is who she claims to be.” A 33-year-old Swiftie from Missouri echoed the

sentiment by saying, “It makes me feel like she's actually the one that's behind her social media,

and it makes her fans feel special.” As to why Taylor personally interacting on her own social

media accounts might make fans feel special, a 22-year-old Swiftie from North Carolina who has

been a fan since Swift’s “folklore,” album in 2020 said, “I think it's a wonderful experience to be

acknowledged by your idol. And I think that's really exciting for a lot of people. I think it makes

them feel good.”

They also noted that if other brands or celebrities tried to act in a similar way online, it

needed to feel authentic or they would not resonate with the content. “I think I appreciate them

[brands] trying to be fun and relevant, and as long as it's done tastefully and with good intent

then I think it's fine,” a 22-year-old Swiftie from West Virginia who has been a fan since 2012

said, while another Swiftie claimed brands that tried too hard gave her an unpleasant feeling.

“Brands that are super try-hard give me the ick,” the 22-year-old Swiftie from New York said.

She specifically mentioned the language-learning app Duolingo as a brand that tried too hard to

be relatable, however, several other Swifties mentioned Duolingo as a brand they felt had an

enjoyable social media presence. A 34-year-old Swiftie from Missouri who has been a fan since

2006 said she noticed how often Duolingo interacted with people online and a 34-year-old

Swiftie from Nashville who has been a fan since 2006 said Duolingo’s social presence reminded

her of Taylor Swift. The 34-year-old from Nashville said, “They post things that make reference

to other things and interact a lot in the comments with their fans.”

Many participants pointed to Taylor’s personal interactions with fans as part of the reason

they found her online content to feel so genuine and authentic. A 22-year-old Swift from West

Virginia said seeing Swift comment on fans’ posts made her feel like Taylor was regular person

instead of a “massive pop star.” Swift used to be incredibly interactive with her fans online, but

after the Kanye West #taylorswiftisoverparty scandal Swift stepped away from social media. In

recent years she has started interacting with fan online again., much to the excitement of many

online Swifties. “Whenever she interacts with someone online, especially nowadays, people get

really excited about it,” a 26-year-old Swiftie who has been a fan since 2010 said.

Taylor Swift’s Hidden Messages. Another piece of Taylor Swift’s online

communication that keeps her fans engaged is her ability to hide messages in her content. This

started at the beginning of Swift’s career when she left hidden messages for fans to decode in the

lyric books accompanying her CDs. She continued this in her online communication, and it is a

big part of the Swiftie fandom community. “It's hard not to read into her social media posts

because so much of what she does has meaning within it,” a 34-year-old Swiftie from Nashville

who has been a fan since Taylor’s debut album in 2006 said.

A 26-year-old Swiftie from the Midwest who has been a fan since Taylor’s “Speak Now”

album in 2010 said, “Pretty much anytime she posts anything, I will dig into it.” Things like the

number of exclamation points or the color of emojis in an Instagram can cause fans to speculate

about what album she’s releasing next. For example, many fans are anxiously awaiting the re-

release of Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album “reputation,” which was originally released in

2017. The album was partially a response to the Kanye West scandal and

#taylorswiftisoverparty, and many fans claim the album as their favorite.

I can't even tell you how many fan theories I'm always keeping track of, all these people

that are making TikToks about things in her Instagram posts that could be kind of cryptic

as to when “reputation” is going to be released again. (Twenty-one-year-old Swiftie from

Colorado who has been a fan since Taylor’s debut album in 2006)

Fans have come to expect announcements through these Easter eggs and consistently search for

them in any and everything Swift posts. A 22-year-old Swiftie from North Carolina who has

been a fan since Taylor’s “folklore” album in 2020 said, “I have been hooked into people

speculating about different things. I really thought “reputation” was going to get announced like

six separate times.” It is not uncommon for fans to misread or be misled by Swift’s supposed

hints.

I think this is a pretty common term for it in this community, but whenever stuff happens

or, she posts cryptic things, or things with secondary meaning, or even things that we

think are secondary meanings we call it clowning or going into clown mode. And we'll

just post that we're putting on our clown makeup. (Thirty-year-old Swiftie from the West

Coast who has been a fan since Taylor’s 1989 album in 2014)

A 26-year-old Swiftie from the Midwest who has been a fan since 2010 when Taylor Swift

released “Speak Now,” enjoys forming theories based on potential Easter eggs and proudly

wears the “clown” title. She said, “I'm a big “reputation” clown, and I hope you can quote that.”

RQ 2: What unique aspects of computer-mediated communication make fandoms

want to congregate there?

Several themes emerged when exploring the aspects of CMC that facilitate fandom

communications. These include the presence of negativity, although it’s not a total turnoff, the

desire for a specific space to discuss fandoms, niche communities within the fandom, the use of

emojis to convey tone and diverse perspectives.

Dealing with Online Negativity. Many Swifties noted that there was a lot of negativity

that could be found online within the fandom. Many pointed out that the online medium makes it

easier for people to spread negativity. “Online, I feel like you can hide behind the screen and

kind of get away with saying things that you wouldn't normally say in person,” said a 24-year-

old Swiftie from Pennsylvania who has been a fan since 2006. A 24-year-old Swiftie from D.C,

who has been a fan since 2012, pointed out that because negative people exist in the world, there

are going to be people who are negative online.

The negativity online could range from rude comments about Taylor Swift herself to

negative comments towards other Swifties online. A 27-year-old Swiftie from New York who

has been a fan since 2012 said she feels compelled to correct people who speak negatively about

Taylor because it feels like a judgment of her taste. Because she relates to Taylor Swift, she

wants to defend her. One Swiftie noted that negativity can sometimes be directed specifically

towards newer members of the fandom.

People often say, if you weren't a fan of Taylor Swift, when debut or “Fearless,” came

out then you are a bad person, and you should not be watching the Eras Tour movie or

going to shows and stuff. And that definitely makes me feel pretty disenfranchised by the

community. And obviously those are kind of minority opinions. I think overwhelmingly I

feel really happy to be a part of the community. Those kinds of things definitely make me

feel a little sad or set apart from the community. (Thirty-year-old Swiftie from the West

Coast who has been a fan since Taylor’s “1989” album in 2014)

Other negativity may be directed towards those who are critical of Taylor Swift. “There's

a lot of toxicity coming from various different angles. The stereotypical toxicity is when

thousands of fans swarm a journalist on Twitter, but I'm more disconnected from that side,” a 22-

year-old Swiftie from New York who has been a fan since 2012 said. She went on to clarify that

she tries to avoid the part of the fandom that produces that kind of negativity online. While this

negativity exists, other Swifties pointed out that they are able to avoid it and do not find it to be

representative of the entire online fandom. “Every once while, there'll be a nasty interaction or

something like that, but generally it's positive,” a 22-year-old Swiftie from North Carolina who

has been a fan since 2020 said.

A 24-year-old Swiftie from D.C who has been a fan since 2012 echoed that sentiment.

“There's always the people who I'm friends with who are like, ‘Oh, this isn't a good thing that's

happening. We don't like that. Those people aren't representative of what we, as Swifties, want

the community to be represented as.’”

A Safe Space to Talk About Taylor. Many Swifties expressed a fear of bothering their

in-person friends by talking about Taylor Swift too much. Having the online community allows

them to talk about Taylor Swift without hesitation. “I feel like if I get too obsessive with it, I

might annoy some of my friends, so I try to just keep it on the social media,” a 34-year-old

Swiftie from Missouri who has been a fan since 2006 said. She continued, “It's nice to know that

there's a large community of people that like Taylor Swift.” The presence of an online space

dedicated to Swifties allows them to connect with others who share their love of Taylor.

In general, and in online spaces with Taylor Swift, people are not shy to talk about their

feelings, and it’s a safer place than the real world to say exactly what you think about her,

like how much you love her. They're really different from friendships you make in real

life, I think, because they're always sort of predicated on mutual shared interest. (Thirty-

four-year-old Swiftie from Nashville who has been a fan since 2006)

Another Swiftie also acknowledged that having a specific place to talk about her love for Taylor

made her feel safe.

Half of the excitement is being able to talk about it with someone, so being able to have

that community that I know if I say something about what I'm excited about they'll

respond to me is always like a good feeling...it's just given me this outlet where I can feel

like I'm not annoying anyone with how much I like Taylor Swift. (Twenty-four-year-old

Swiftie from D.C who has been a fan since 2012)

One Swiftie even took it upon herself to create a group chat of fellow Swifties she met

online so they could have another specific space to discuss Taylor Swift. “I started the group

chat, and it's just grown quite a bit since I started it. We all get to talk to each other and be a little

delusional about theories...I have to see how everyone else is feeling, too,” said a 21-year-old

Swiftie from Colorado who has been a fan since 2006.

Many Swifties said a lack of in-person Swiftie fans made them feel alone and having

online friends who shared their love of Taylor Swift was nice. A 27-year-old Swiftie from New

York who has been a fan since 2012 said, “It's definitely that longing of like a community of

people who like the same thing I do, because when I was a teen and in college it was definitely

harder to find people who liked Taylor as much as I did.” Another Swiftie said that having these

online not online made her feel less alone, but actually made her feel saner about her love for

Taylor Swift.

It makes me feel less insane to know that there are other people out there who like her as

fervently as I do. It can be kind of isolating sometimes to feel like you don't have any

friends in real life that like the same thing you do. It's really nice to share the things you

love with people who love the same things you love. (Thirty-four-year-old Swiftie from

Nashville who has been a fan since 2006)

Niche Subcommunities. Within the online community, there exist niche subcommunities

of people who share interests other than Taylor Swift. One Swiftie said she sought out a

subreddit for Swifties who identify as “stoners,” and she was pleased to learn that such a

community existed. Reddit seems to be a place where several sub-communities within the

Swiftie fandom congregate. While searching through Reddit the research discovered

communities such as r/POC_Swifties for Taylor Swift fans who are people of color,

r/CraftySwifties for Taylor Swift fans who enjoy crafting, r/SoberSwifties for Taylor Swift fans

who are sober and r/GaylorSwift for Taylor Swift fans who want to discuss how Taylor Swift’s

music intersects with the LGBTQ+ community.

Some members of r/GaylorSwift believe Taylor herself is queer, while other fans find this

kind of speculation to be invasive. A 22-year-old Swiftie from North Carolina who has been a

fan since 2020, explained that as a queer woman, she had mixed feelings about the “Gaylor,”

community. “I have such mixed feelings about it, because, on one hand, there is some

compelling evidence. On the other hand, I think it's not great for people speculating people’s

sexuality and people's personal life.” She also explained that many Swifties want Taylor to

“come out” because they themselves are queer and seek representation from their favorite artist.

“I think she should acknowledge that vast proportion of her fan base is queer and is kind of

looking for that representation.” A 34-year-old Swiftie from Missouri who has been a fan since

the beginning of Taylor’s career said she personally did not interact with “Gaylors.”

LGBTQ+ Swifties are present online, and one Swiftie found her girlfriend through a

group dedicated to fans of both Taylor Swift and the band Haim.

I originally joined Twitter because of Taylor Swift, but eventually joined the Haim

fandom. And that's where I found her [girlfriend], and she was a fan of Haim, but also a

fan of Taylor Swift. So, we got along in both of those things, and were in a big group chat

of Haim and Taylor Swift fans. (Twenty-four-year-old Swiftie from D.C who has been a

fan since 2012)

One Swiftie noted that finding these niche groups within the fandom can make being in

the fandom more enjoyable. She specifically pointed out that she felt she was an “elder Swiftie,”

and often felt disconnected from fans who were younger than her. “As an elder Swiftie, it's easy

to feel like it's all people who are younger than you, and so it's nice to connect with someone

who's your age and not feel like you're an adult hanging out with children all the time” the 34-

year-old Swiftie from Nashville who has been a fan since 2006 said.

Conveying Tone Online. One aspect that can make online communication challenging is

the lack of ways to express tone and emotion, and one-way Swifties who are communicating

online work around it is with emojis and other textual symbols or cues. A 22-year-old-Swiftie

from New York said she occasionally used tone indicators such as /S to show sarcasm or /J to

say she was joking. These help convey emotion over text. A 24-year-old Swiftie from

Pennsylvania who has been a fan since Taylor’s debut album also said she used tone indicators

but felt that people were not as familiar with them as emojis. Many Swifties expressed that

emojis help demonstrate the emotions they are trying to convey through their message. “I use a

lot of emojis because I think it helps things not be interpreted the wrong way,” a 22-year-old

Swiftie from West Virginia who has been a fan since 2012 said. She said emojis were helpful

when making it clear that she was joking. A 27-year-old Swiftie from New York who has been a

fan since Taylor’s “Red” album said emojis were her “best friend,” when it came to

communicating with people in her age group. In addition to emojis, other Swifties use things like

exclamation points and all caps to show a sense of excitement and intensity in their texts. A 22-

year-old Swiftie from North Carolina who has been a fan since 2020 said that typing in all caps

generally meant that the person typing was excitedly screaming.

Diverse Perspectives Online. One aspect of online communication that several Swifties

found to be positive was the ability to connect with large and diverse groups of people they

otherwise may not be able to connect with. “I like interacting with people online because it kind

of helps you get a different perspective than what you normally have.” said a 34-year-old Swiftie

from Missouri who has been a fan since 2006. A 24-year-old Swiftie from Pennsylvania, who

has been a fan since 2006, said, “You're able to connect with people across state lines or across

country lines. You're able to meet people that way that you wouldn't be able to meet in person.”

Another Swiftie pointed out that online, there is a large demographic of people, and as a result of

that, there is also a variety of opinions and perspectives. One Swiftie noted that the online

community may have more diverse perspectives because the medium allows for more voices

“I think we do get a lot more voices, though, online, because I think there are more people

willing to interact online,” said the 26-year-old Swiftie from the Midwest, who has been a fan

since 2010.

RQ 3: How, if at all, do Swifties’ online interactions with other Swifties affect their

perceptions of Taylor Swift and consumption of Taylor Swift’s content?

While researching the ways online interactions affect fan perceptions of Taylor Swift, it

was evident that fans want to consume content as soon as possible, communicate with fandom-

specific language, connect to each other via music and show their support through consumption.

Fans want content ASAP. Many Swifties said they felt they had to listen to new Taylor

Swift music as soon as it was available. This was for several reasons, including a fear of missing

out, a desire to form opinions for themselves before seeing other opinions and because they are

excited to have new content. Many Swifties stay up until midnight or later on the day of a Taylor

Swift release to listen to it immediately. A 34-year-old Swiftie from Missouri, who has been a

fan since 2006, said she listened to Swift’s 2022 album “Midnights,” “the second it dropped,” at

11 p.m. CST on October 20, 2022. The thought of not hearing new Taylor Swift music the

moment it became available was unfathomable to some Swifties. “I would not be able to

function. Not knowing would eat at me. It would haunt me all day if I knew that it [new music]

was out there, just existing and lurking, and I didn't know what it was,” a 34-year-old Swiftie

from Nashville who has been a fan since 2006 said. Other Swifties said that they wanted to be

able to listen to the music for the first time without seeing other Swifties' opinions on it. They

want to be able to form and share their own opinions as soon as possible.

I want to be like one of the first people to hear it, so that I can hear it without all the noise

of all the theories of what goes into it, but also so that I can come up with my own.

Experiencing it on my own is a big part of it. I'm just so excited to hear. (Twenty-six-

year-old Swiftie from the Midwest who has been a fan since 2010)

Other fans expressed that part of the urgency to consume the content comes from a desire to

experience the new music without knowing what’s coming. They want to avoid reading the

lyrics online before they have a chance to hear them as the music plays. “I want to make sure that

I can share my opinion right away about it, and that it doesn't get spoiled,” a 27-year-old Swiftie

from New York who has been a fan since 2012. “I don't want someone talking about the sound

of a song or lyrics and spoiling that for me.”

Additionally, new content is exciting to Swifties, contributing to the urgency to consume

the content. “It just makes me excited to have new content from her,” a 22-year-old Swiftie from

West Virginia who has been a fan since 2012 said. “People will immediately start talking about it

on social media. I want my own thoughts before I read someone else's but, ultimately, it's just

because I'm excited.” Because fans do not want their first listen of an album to be potentially

influenced by other online Swiftie opinions, they listen as soon as they can. This urgency to

consume content comes from interactions that happen within the online Swiftie fandom. In this

way, the consumption of content is influenced by the online fandom.

Secret Fandom Languages. As seen with the term, “clowning,” the online Swiftie

fandom has developed its own way of communicating online using code words and inside jokes.

Some of the other components of this include slang, references to funny things that have

happened in the fandom over the years or abbreviating album titles. Being a part of this secret

language makes some Swifties feel more connected to the fandom. A 21-year-old from Colorado

said having these inside jokes made her feel good and like Swifties had “our own little secret

thing.” A 34-year-old Swiftie from Nashville said, “It's a bonding thing to feel like you're in the

know about something that outsiders aren't privy to.” A 22-year-old Swiftie from New York who

has been a fan since 2012 said that newer fans may not know all of the inside jokes but could get

caught up to speed by others in the fandom. She also said the secret language of online Swifties

“unities a community.” Many Swifties echoed the sentiment that being able to understand these

references made them feel included. A 24-year-old from Pennsylvania that has been a fan since

2006 said, “I think it’s really cool that we’re able to connect in that way. It makes me feel really

included and it’s super fun.” Feelings of inclusion were shared by many Swifties. “I enjoy being

a part of this community. Being able to understand those [inside jokes], I feel like I'm a part of

something,” a 24-year-old Swiftie from D.C. said.

Connecting Via Music. A commonality among all the Swifties interviewed was their

love of Taylor Swift’s music. It was typically the first thing they mentioned they liked about her.

For many, her music, more specifically her songwriting, was the thing that initially drew them

into the fandom, and through the desire to discuss the music, they became more engaged in the

fandom. Several fans noted that they had become more involved with the fandom over the years.

A thirty-year-old Swiftie from the West Coast said she had been a casual fan since 2014, but in

2020 when Taylor Swift released “folklore,” she became much more involved in the online

fandom. As previously stated, a twenty-seven-year-old Swiftie from New York who has been a

fan since 2012 listens to Taylor’s new music as soon as she is able so she can “share [her]

opinion right away.” A 24-year-old Swiftie from Pennsylvania who has been a fan since 2006

said she would listen to Taylor’s music “religiously” growing up. Taylor’s songwriting and

ability to explore different genres of music is appealing to many of her fans.

A 26-year-old Swiftie from the Midwest who has been a fan since 2010 said that Taylor’s

music is why she first became a fan and she felt most other Swifties would agree. “I love

Taylor’s music. I think most say that they do,” she said. Echoing that point was a 22-year-old

Swiftie from North Carolina who has been a fan since 2020 who said, “I think her music is

fantastic, genuinely. I think the way she plays around with different genres, and her writing is

just really detailed and incredible, and evokes such a strong sense of feeling.” She added that she

enjoys seeing how other people in the fandom absorb and connect with the music. “I love when

people do song analysis diving deep, especially when they're English majors, and they do a

literary analysis.” Other Swifties praised her musical abilities saying, “I feel like so many other

artists these days repeat the same verse and chorus so much in their songs, whereas she, even in

her more pop type stuff, varies it a bit and gives us words like clandestine and Machiavellian” a

27-year-old Swiftie from New York who has been a fan since Red. Furthermore, a 34-year-old

Swiftie from Nashville who has been a fan since 2006 said, “I really like her storytelling and the

way that she writes songs that people feel like she's writing about their life, even though she's

writing about her own.”

A 22-year-old Swiftie from West Virginia who has been a fan since Taylor’s “Red”

album in 2012 expressed that because she was personally involved in music growing up, she

admired that Taylor Swift came to fame through music.

Turning Fandom into Dollars Spent. Because their love for Taylor is so strong,

Swifties indicated that they wanted to show their support for Taylor Swift outwardly. This comes

in a variety of ways, including buying her merchandise and attending her tours. A 34-year-old

from Nashville said that owning Taylor Swift merchandise made her happy, and a 22-year-old

from New York said that previously she bought CDs specifically because she knew she wanted

to support Taylor. Many fans bought merchandise when they attended a tour or an event like the

“Eras Tour” movie as a way to remember the joy they felt experiencing that moment. Some fans

even bought unofficial merchandise that they thought looked cute or fit their style because they

wanted to show others that they were a Swiftie. Many also noted that some of the Taylor Swift

merchandise they owned was gifted to them because the people in their lives knew they were

Swifties.

For some, support goes beyond buying CDs. In addition to money, fans also invest their

time into Taylor. A 21-year-old from Colorado spent six hours trying to get tickets to the Eras

tour and said she would do it again if that’s what it took to see Taylor live. A 24-year-old Swiftie

from D.C who has been a fan since 2012, said that after hearing about Taylor Swift’s breakup

with Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend of six years, in April 2023, she bought a ticket to that night’s

performance of Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” despite already having a ticket for a different

date because she wanted to support Taylor in that moment.

I heard the breakup news and I'm like, “Oh, I want to be there at this show. I want to be

there to support her.” So, I was able to find a ticket like the day of and I got on the flight.

[I] landed at like 7:15, and I was in the stadium by 7:58, and she went on 8 pm. So, it was

definitely a crazy experience. But she did play “Treacherous,” which is one of my

favorite songs of all time. So that was great. (24-year-old Swiftie from D.C who has been

a fan since 2012)

Traveling for fandom purposes does not stop at flying to concerts. The 24-year-old traveled from

D.C, to New York to attend an album release party with other Swifties for “Midnights.” She said

she was comfortable doing that because she has already made a connection with them online.

Discussion

This research aimed to explore the online Swiftie fandom and understand how it

contributes to Taylor Swift’s relationship with her fans in order to inform best practices for

communication professionals attempting to connect with consumers (fans) online. The research

questions explored how Swift’s online interactions affected fans’ perceptions of her, what

aspects of online spaces were appealing to fandoms and how the interactions happening in online

fandoms affected the way fans felt about Taylor Swift. As seen in the responses from

interviewees, online fandom spaces, while having some negative aspects, act as space for Taylor

to connect with her fans, but more importantly, for fans to connect with each other. Overall, it

seems that Taylor Swift's positivity outweighs the negativity that can be found online, and fans

do their best to avoid negativity.

When seeking out specific places to discuss Taylor Swift, Swifties form connections with

others who feel similarly. These connections help strengthen the positive feelings fans have for

Taylor Swift and motivate them to engage with her content. As Kelly (2002) states, one can be a

successful creator with as few as 1,000 fans who will consume any and all content. While Taylor

has way more than 1,000, it is evident that her fans will consume any and all content, as soon as

it is available. The way Swifties exhibit their fan behaviors for Taylor Swift extends beyond

consuming her content and includes going out of their way to show their support through dollars

spent and miles traveled. The fan behavior exhibited by Swifties is in-line with the celebrity

worship (Łuksza, 2022) and bedroom culture (Anderson, 2022) seen in other fandoms. An

example of this celebrity worship includes the way Swifties flock to any and all content Taylor

puts out expeditiously. The way fans turn to online spaces to talk about their love for Taylor

Swift is an expansion of bedroom culture, which historically involved fans retreating to their

bedrooms to enjoy their fan activities. Historically these were private practices, but with the

option of online spaces, fans are able to engage in fandom activities with others while still

remaining in their bedrooms. Some fans may not feel comfortable enough to share their fandom

involvement in-person (Hill, 2000), so the online space that is specifically for Swifties helps

make them feel safe and supported in their fan behavior.

Theoretical Implications

The findings in this research support and have the potential to expand upon the elements

of Walther’s social information processing theory. This includes textual symbols in place of non-

verbal cues, motivations to connect, selective presentation and interpretation and time.

Textual Symbols Convey Tone. One of the biggest barriers in computer-mediated

communication is the lack of nonverbal cues and the multiple references to emojis support

SIPT’s notion about textual symbols aiding in overcoming that barrier (Walther, 2015). Other

researchers have also concluded that the use of emojis can set or reinforce the tone of a message

(Boutet, et. al., 2021). Additional textual cues such as typing in all caps or using exclamation

points also help with tone indications. Tone indicators help convey emotions like emojis yet do

so through letters instead of graphics. All of these ways to indicate tone and emotion online

support SIPT’s proposition that when communicating online, people will overcome

communication barriers if they are motivated to connect and can do so through textual symbols.

Motivation to Connect Over Shared Interests. Some Swifties expressed feelings of

loneliness if they did not have any in-person friends who shared their love of Taylor Swift.

Feelings of loneliness and isolation were also prevalent during the COVID-19 lockdown. CMC

allowed people who were social distancing to connect with one another and ease some of these

feelings of loneliness (Shufford, et. al, 2021). SIPT presents the notion that humans are

intrinsically motivated to connect with others and that motivation encourages them to interact

online even if CMC presents challenges. The findings support that humans are motivated to

connect with each other, especially if there is a shared interest.

Easter Eggs as Selective Presentation and Interpretation. Selective presentation and

interpretation are incredibly present in the online Swiftie fandom, especially selective

interpretation. While many Swifties praised Taylor’s relatable and authentic social presence, they

also pointed out that she carefully crafts her messages to them. This is an example of selective

presentation online, which is a key aspect of the hyperpersonal model of SIPT (Walther, 2007).

As for selective interpretation the “clowning,” demonstrates that when communicating online it

is easy for receivers to ascertain whatever message they want. Because Swift has created an

environment where these Easter eggs are expected, fans go over her messages with a fine-tooth

comb searching for hidden messages. As seen in CMC, receivers sometimes “overattribute”

messages from their senders to create an idealized interpretation of the message (Walther, 1996).

“Clowning,” is essentially the overattribution of certain messages.

Time and Feelings of Connection. Despite time being a component of SIPT, the amount

of time spent within the fandom did not seem to greatly affect the interviewees' feelings of

connection towards other online Swifties. This could also be due to the fact that all interviewees

have been in the fandom for at least three years. Many fans noted that they have gotten more

involved in the online fandom as a whole over the years due to a growing love for Taylor Swift.

These increased feelings of fandom towards Taylor Swift could also be due to her growth in

popularity since 2020. One interesting thing to note is some Swifties mentioned online

friendships that they had been a part of for years that were initiated quickly after meeting online.

This could be because their relationship was predicated by a shared love. This does not

necessarily dispute SIPT’s notion that substantial time is required to form connections via CMC

but does suggest that a shared love of something may accelerate the process.

Practical Implications

It is evident that Taylor Swift has effectively created a loyal fanbase that is willing to stay

up late, spend money and literally, cross time zones for her. Based on the aforementioned

themes, the following takeaways may benefit communication professionals looking to form

connections with consumers online, effectively turning them into fans. This expands the

scholarship about fandom and online communication and demonstrates how professional

communicators can learn from successful online fandoms such as Swifties. Key takeaways for

communication professionals include creating relatable content for consumers, ensuring content

feels authentic to your brand, avoiding online negativity, properly expressing tone, embracing

and unifying diverse perspectives and utilizing hidden messages.

Consumers Need to Connect to Content. First and foremost, Swifties love Taylor’s

music largely due to its relatability. This is an important insight for all communication

professionals, not just those in the music industry, because it demonstrates the importance of

creating content your audience relates to and enjoys. Because Taylor Swift’s music is relatable

and enjoyable to listen to, her fans want to stay engaged with it and her. Swifties cited Taylor’s

music and lyrics as their gateway into the fandom, because her music made them feel seen. Even

if a brand is not creating song lyrics about heartbreak and growing up like Taylor Swift does,

brands still have the ability to know their target audience and create content that also makes them

feel seen.

This could made possible through something like a parasocial relationship. Parasocial

interaction can helps brands form personal connections with consumers by getting consumers to

connect with content. Relatable content helps consumers feel like they have a personal

connection to the brand. This keeps them engaged and motivated to interact with and consume

content. Celebrities connecting with fans online is not exclusive to Taylor Swift, and celebrities

who do share parts of their lives online make fans feel that they have a real relationship with

them (Stever and Lawson, 2013). Fans felt that celebrities who were active on Twitter and self-

disclosed personal parts of their lives were a part of their own social lives (Kim and Song, 2016).

Brands should consider putting out content that is relatable to their audience, so the audience is

able to connect with it and is motivated to consume it.

This may be easier for Taylor Swift than other brands because she is a person and

therefore it is easier for fans to relate to and connect with her than a faceless corporation. To

address this, brands may consider employing influencers or fans to act as brand ambassadors.

Seeing a person post from a personal account about a brand may seem more relatable to

consumers than a brand posting from an official brand account. By assigning a person to a brand

it will be easier for consumers to form feeling of connections with brands.

Online Content Should Feel Authentic to Your Brand. Authenticity, Meriam Webster’s

2023 word of the year (Italie, 2023), is another thing communicators should focus on, especially

when trying to market to niche audiences such as fandoms. Communicators should avoid trying

to be trendy for trend’s sake if it does not seamlessly fit into their established brand. Part of what

works for Taylor Swift’s online persona is that her content feels genuine and organic to her.

When brands that have nothing to do with Taylor or her fanbase attempt to replicate or capitalize

off of that fans can see through the inauthenticity. It is imperative that brands are authentic,

because it is the foundation of trust with consumers, (Lorenz, 2023). Approximately 64% of

consumers want brands to interact with them (Wheeler Marketing, n.d.) and online

communication makes those interactions accessible. Since many Swifties mentioned how

Taylor’s direct interactions with her fans led to them feeling that her online presence was

authentic, it may be worthwhile for brands to find authentic ways to directly interact with

consumers.

Avoid Negativity Online. Communication professionals should be aware of potential

negativity when communicating online. This negativity comes from a variety of places both in

the fandom and outside of it. Outside of the fandom and on the internet in general there is

negativity because online communication allows users to “hide behind their screens” and say

things they would not normally say in a face-to-face conversation. Within the fandom there are

people who criticize newer fans or attack non-fans who may speak negatively about Taylor. This

negativity towards newer fans could be explained by the psychology of ingroup love versus

outgroup hate where, in an attempt to maintain positive relationships within the fandom, fans

ostracize people outside of the fandom (Brewer, 1999). This mentality can create a type of

hierarchy within the fandom based on how much a fan knows or how long they have been in the

fandom space (Pereira, 2017). This kind of interaction can make certain members of the fandom

feel isolated and disengaged. However, many Swifties felt that this type of behavior was not

representative of the fandom and gravitated towards more positive content. As a result, many

fans of Taylor Swift attempt to avoid negativity online when possible, so communication

professionals may find it beneficial to stick to positive messages online. There are instances

where negativity cannot be avoided, for example if an angry consumer is commenting negative

things on social media. In these instances, communicators may want to respond to the negativity

promptly, truthfully, politely and sincerely (Baker, 2024).

Set the Tone. It is easy for messages to be misconstrued online because of the challenges

involved in conveying tone in written or typed messages. Emojis and tone indicators can be

helpful when trying to indicate tone and can aid in producing these positive messages. Although

not directly mentioned in the findings, this can expand to other visual elements such as memes,

gifs, photos and videos. Emojis are well-known communication tools that nearly everyone

communicating online would be familiar with. This makes them an easily accessible tool for

communication professionals who have messages to share online that require a specific tone.

Although tone indicators may not be as widespread, communication professionals may find them

beneficial when communicating online, especially when communicating tonally complex

messages such as sarcasm. As online fandom spaces such as Discord or Reddit grow, tone

indicators are likely to see an increase in usage.

Getting a message across goes beyond tone, however, and if brands want to effectively

communicate with their consumers as fans, they should strive for an online tone that resonates

with their target audience. In the case of fandoms, some have their own secret languages

(Methods + Mastery), such as the “clowning,” in the Swiftie fandom. When brands are

identifying target audiences, they should pay attention to how their consumers interact with each

other online and use that as a guide for setting their own tone online. For brands that lend

themselves to a more youthful or playful tone online emojis, gifs and memes could play a vital

role in engaging with fans. On the flip side if a brand has a more mature or serious image to

maintain emojis, gifs and memes may not be appropriate if they do not resonate with the target

audience.

Embrace and Unify Diverse Perspectives. The presence of diverse perspectives online

also presents an opportunity for communication professionals to connect with potential

consumers/fans. While there is negativity online that is exacerbated by the variety of opinions

and anonymity afforded by the internet, having a unifying force, such as a shared love of Taylor

Swift, can help engage these diverse perspectives.

Fandoms themselves are a type of subculture, and within these subcultures exist another

set of niche communities where people within the fandom discover they have an additional set of

shared interests with other fans. This can be seen in Swifties are who fans of other artists are or

have a shared identity. Within niche communities exist micro-influencers that present an

opportunity for communication professionals to interact with these niche communities (Stinner,

2023).

Use Hidden Messages to Engage Consumers. Brands may find it beneficial to use

hidden messages or Easter eggs in their own content to keep fans engaged. Some already do.

Easter eggs are not exclusive to Swifties. Jeeps also hide Easter eggs all over their vehicles for

drivers to find (DARCARS, n.d.). This includes things like geckos hiding under windshield

wipers or flip flops etched into tailgates. While drivers may not be buying cars specifically to

look for special hidden elements, Jeep Easter eggs are a fun way for Jeep owners to feel that their

Jeep has a special element to it that other cars do not and also connect with other Jeep owners

about Easter eggs on their Jeeps. They also help create a sense of community because they give

consumers the opportunity to discuss their Easter eggs with other consumers.

In addition to making consumers who find these hidden messages feel like they are part

of a community, hidden messages also gamify marketing efforts. Marketing gamification

strategically uses competitive elements in marketing elements to creatively boost engagement

and loyalty (Intuit, n.d.). Swift’s Easter eggs gamify album releases and incentivize Swifties to

do a lot of the heavy lifting that comes with album promotion. When Taylor Swift eventually

decides to re-release “reputation,” it will come after months, possibly years, of fans talking about

it. It is possible that Taylor Swift could drop “reputation (Taylor’s Version)” in the middle of the

night with zero promotion and still have great commercial success because fans "clowning” have

built up so much of the necessary anticipation. The act of “clowning,” or theorizing about

Taylor’s social posts can act as a type of social currency (Berger, 2013) where Swifties who

manage to solve her puzzles or at least get the fandom to clown with them are seen as more

important in the fandom. Acquiring more social currency within the fandom may also lead fans

to believe they have a greater chance of personally connecting with Taylor since she has

historically reached out to Swifties who were very involved in the online fandom. By effectively

utilizing Easter eggs or hidden messages communication professionals can keep their consumers

engaged, help intensify feelings of connection to a brand and even get consumers promoting

their content for free.

There is a possibility that in an attempt to gamify content through hidden messages

content may begin to feel inauthentic to the brand which may negatively affect feelings of

connections. To prevent this from happening, communication professionals should have an in-

depth understanding of their audience and their brand’s personality. This will ensure that any

type of Easter eggs or gamification feels like a genuine attempt to connect with consumers and

not an inauthentic way to hop on trends. The following is an example of a brand that has a clear

understanding of their audience and brand identity which allows them to join trends without

feeling inauthentic.

Duolingo as an Exemplar. While a language-learning app with a sassy green owl mascot

may be seemingly unrelated to Taylor Swift, many Swifties cited Duolingo as brand whose

online persona reminded them of Taylor Swift. Duolingo’s social media has built a reputation of

being sassy and on-top of trends. Duolingo has adopted an “unhinged” presence on TikTok

(Alfred, 2023) that has effectively created a fanbase for the app. In addition to posting funny

content, Duolingo also interacts with fans and participates in relevant trends. It is possible that

many Swifties associated the brand with Taylor Swift because of how often the brand references

Taylor Swift whether it is through quoting her songs (Duolingo, 2023), or recreating her album

covers with the Duolingo owl (Follet, 2024). Using many of the themes referenced in this

research Duolingo has created an online presence that is engaging and entertaining to consumers.

As previously mentioned, brands may benefit from assigning a person to their brand in order for

content to feel more relatable, and Duolingo has effectively done this with their sassy green owl

mascot.

Limitations and Future Research

The scope of this research was limited to women ages 18-34 with whom the researcher

was able to connect with on TikTok and Reddit. It is also important to note that the researcher is

a member of the Taylor Swift online fandom community, however, Jenkins (2012) suggests that

researchers who are a part of the community they are studying may have more success with

gaining the trust of their research participants. There are limitations to the method itself. Because

the interview subjects were not chosen randomly, the results of this study cannot be generalized

to larger populations. Additional limitations include the sample being a majority white and

entirely American-centric perspective. While saturation can be reached with as few as nine

interviews (Zhou and Sloan, 2015) having more than 11 interviews would have strengthened this

research.

In the future, it may be beneficial to study if and how the medium of the online fandom

space dictates the feelings within the Swiftie community. For example, future researchers may

want to compare Swifties who are active on Tumblr to Swifties who are active on Instagram.

Additionally, future research may want to explore the subgroups within the online Taylor Swift

fandom and the sense of community felt in those groups. Another topic future research may want

to explore is how marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community, find community within

the Taylor Swift fandom. To expand on the key aspects of SIPT, future research may want to

explore how forming connections online through a mutual interest impacts the time required to

form connections.

Conclusion

With the help of online communication, Taylor Swift has built and maintained a large

fanbase that is loyal and engaged. With her relatable song lyrics and inviting online persona she

manages to make millions of fans feel as though she is singing directly about their lives. A

massive online community of Swifties has formed over the years and the online fandom

continues to be a space where Swifties can discuss Taylor and form connections with each

other—ranging from casually friendly to intimately hyperpersonal. Walther's social information

processing theory explains many of the aspects leading to these connections. The online Swiftie

community continues a longstanding tradition of fandoms commanding pop culture and will

continue to thrive into the foreseeable future. Communication professionals should pay attention

to these online fandoms and view them not only as niche communities to market to, but also

experts in their fields of interest.

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Appendices

Appendix A Call for Participation

Script for TikTok Video

Hey Swifties! I want to talk to you for research purposes.

If you are a woman aged 18--34 who has made friends online because of Taylor, I want to talk to

you! I’m a graduate student at West Virginia University researching how online fandom

communities form connections and I am specifically looking at Swifties! Please message me or

respond to this post and I will reach out to you and give you more info.

Caption: Want more information? Leave a comment or email me at rj0028@mix.wvu.edu with

the subject line Swiftie Research. Thanks #SwiftTok

Appendix A1

Reddit Post

Hey y’all!

I posted in here before about the research I’m doing for my thesis and I want to throw it out there

again. I currently have 5 people interested in interviews and need like 10 more. I would so

appreciate if you all could interact with this. Even if you don't qualify or aren’t interested, it

would be so helpful if you could share. To summarize, I am looking for women aged 18-34 who

identify as Swifties and have made connections with other Swifties online. If you’re interested

you can direct message me, respond to this post or email [email protected]

This is a research project through West Virginia University. IRB approval is on file.

[link to TikTok

Appendix B Email

Hello,

I am a graduate student at West Virginia University researching online Swiftie culture and the

connections people make online through fandom. For part of my research, I am interviewing

women ages 18-34 who self-identify as fans of Taylor Swift who are active in online fandoms.

The interview will take approximately one hour and if you’re interested in the results, I can share

my findings with you once I’ve completed my thesis. If you would like to be a part of this

research, please fill out the attached survey to make sure you are a good fit. The survey will take

approximately 5 minutes to complete. If you are selected as a participant in this study, you will

be contacted by XXX. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me.

Appendix C Screening questions

Thank you for your interest in this research. The following questions will help the researcher

determine if you are a good fit for this study. Please answer the questions accurately. If there is a

question you do not wish to answer you may quit the survey. This survey will take

approximately five minutes.

1. Are you between the ages of 18 and 34?

1. Yes

2. No (If they answer no the survey will force completion)

2. How old are you?

1. Short answer

3. Do you identify as a woman?

1. Yes

2. No (If they answer no the survey will force completion)

4. Do you consider yourself a Swiftie?

1. Yes

2. No (If they answer no the survey will force completion)

5. Do you participate in online fandom spaces? I.e. Instagram, Tumblr, Reddit, Twitter

1. Yes

2. No (If they answer no the survey will force completion)

6. What is your racial identity?

1. Short answer

7. Where do live (State/province, Country)

1. Short answer

Appendix D Confirmation Email

Thank you for your interest in being a participant in this research project studying online

Swifties. You have been selected!

Please review the attached consent form and do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or

concerns about it. Once you have reviewed the consent form, please select which time below

works best for an interview. If none of the times work for you let me know and I will find

another time. The interview will last approximately one hour and may be conducted via Zoom.

Please pick a time and indicate if you would like to do the interview in-person or via video chat.

(INTERVIEW SLOT 1)

(INTERVIEW SLOT 2)

(INTERVIEW SLOT 3)

Thank you again for your interest and I look forward to hearing from you!

Appendix E Informed consent

By participating in this interview, you agree to cooperate in a study conducted by a journalism

student at West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media. The purpose of the project is to

gather information about online fandom communities. Your participation is voluntary, and you

may quit at any time. All precautions have been taken so there are no risks to your participation

unless you feel uncomfortable answering questions about your use of online fandom

communities. If you have any questions about this study, you may contact the researcher Rachel

Johnson at [email protected].

1. I volunteer to participate in a research project conducted by a journalism student at West

Virginia University’s Reed College of Media. I understand that my participation in this project is

voluntary and that I will not be paid for my participation. I may decline to participate, and my

decision to decline will be kept confidential.

2. I understand that I may withdraw and discontinue participation at any time without penalty

and that my decision to withdraw will be kept confidential.

3. I understand that I have the right to decline to answer any question that may make me feel

uncomfortable in any way.

4. I understand that participation involves being interviewed by a journalism student at West

Virginia University’s Reed College of Media. The interview will last approximately 60 minutes.

Notes will be taken during the interview.

5. I understand that the interview will be recorded. If I do not want to be recorded, I understand

that I cannot participate. I can choose to not be recorded at any time during the interview.

6. I understand that the full transcript of my interview will be included in the research report as

an appendix.

7. I have read and understand the explanation provided to me. I have had all my questions

answered to my satisfaction and voluntarily agree to participate in this study.

8. I have been given a copy of this consent form.

Appendix F Interview Script

Informed Consent

Thank you so much for your time today. As discussed by email, this interview is for a project

that explores the online Taylor Swift fandom and how Swifties interact online. I’d like to ask

you, as a Swiftie, some questions about how you spend your time online and your feelings about

Taylor Swift. What you say to me today will help us better our understanding of how people

interact online. I have a general script here that I’ll be following, and I’m also taking notes, so if

you see me looking down often or writing, that’s why. We want to make sure we are fully

considering all your insights. Please do speak your mind. There are no right or wrong answers

here, and I’m genuinely interested in knowing your particular thoughts and perspectives. As

mentioned in the cover letter and consent form, you will not be identified in any reports and your

name will not be linked to any comments you make.

That said, your comfort is important to me, so if you want to skip any questions or add any

questions as we move along, please feel free. This interview will take roughly 60 minutes. Are

there any timing or other concerns that I should be mindful of before we get started? [WAIT

FOR CONFIRMATION]

One final note, I want to re-confirm that you know I am recording this conversation to enable us

to transcribe the interview. Is this still ok? [WAIT FOR CONFIRMATION]

Ok, do you have any other questions on the letter or form sent earlier or anything I just

mentioned? [WAIT FOR CONFIRMATION]

Great, thanks again for your time and honesty here.

Opening Questions

First, I want to get to know a little bit about you.

How long have you been a fan of Taylor Swift?

Transition

What are some things you like about Taylor Swift?

Where are some places you interact with Swifties online?

Prompt: Tumblr, Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter

Good to know, now that I have an idea of how you feel about Taylor Swift, we’re going to talk

about some of her online behavior.

Fan Interactions/ Taylor Swift’s Online Behavior (RQ 1)

[Fan interactions] Have you ever interacted with Taylor Swift online? If so, tell me about that

experience.

Probe: How did it make you feel about her?

Follow-up: If you’ve never interacted with Taylor online, can you tell me about a time you

witnessed her interacting with other Swifties online?

Probe: How did it make you feel about her?

Probe: How did it make you feel about other Swifties?

[Fan interactions] Can you tell me about shifts you’ve seen in Taylor’s social media presence

over time?

[Fan interactions/selective interpretation] Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in Taylor’s

social media posts?

Follow-up: If so, can you tell me about that experience?

[Best practices] Can you tell me about any other brands or celebrities you’ve seen trying to

replicate the way Taylor interacts with her fans?

Probe: How did that make you feel about them?

[Best practices] Have you seen any brands referencing Taylor Swift?

[Consumer behavior] Do you own any Taylor Swift merchandise?

If yes: Can you tell me about it?

Prompt: What is it?

Prompt: What made you want to buy it?

Probe: How does it make you feel about Taylor Swift?

[Consumer behavior] When Taylor puts out new merchandise do you buy it?

Follow up: Why?

[Consumer behavior] When Taylor puts out new content (music, videos) do you listen to it

immediately?

Follow up: Why?

[Consumer behavior/promise of future meeting] Have you ever seen Taylor Swift live?

Follow up: Tell me about that experience

Probe: When was this?

Probe: How much money did you spend?

Probe: How did it make you feel about Taylor Swift?

Probe: How did it make you feel about seeing her again?

Now that I know a little more about your relationship with Taylor Swift, I want to talk about

your behavior online in the Swiftie fandom. Think back to the spaces you mentioned earlier.

Utilizing online mediums (RQ 2)

[Utilizing online] How do you feel about interacting with people in online spaces?

Probe: How does communicating online compare to in-person interactions?

Probe: What are some of the differences?

[Utilizing online] What are some behaviors in online fandom communities that you would expect

to see as a part of in-person fandom communities?

Follow up: What are things that could only take place online?

[Textual cues] What are some things you do over text to indicate how you’re feeling when

communicating online?

Prompt: Do you find GIFs or emojis to be helpful when conveying tone or emotions?

[Motivations to connect] What motivates you to connect with other people online?

[Future meeting] How does the potential of interacting with a person online again make you feel

about talking to them?

Prompt: If you join an Instagram group chat with strangers going to a Taylor Swift-

themed event in a few months, are you motivated to interact with them since you know

there is a potential to connect with them again?

[Utilizing online/habits/time] How much time do you spend online in Swiftie spaces per week?

Prompt: This can include talking about Taylor, looking at Taylor-related content or

talking to other Swifties about things not related to Taylor Swift.

Follow up: Does the amount of time spent in these spaces change when Taylor releases

new content? Or does it vary based on the time you have available?

Thanks for sharing that! Now we’re going to move on and talk about the way you interact with

Swifties online.

Online Swiftie Community (RQ 3)

[connection with others/motivations] Can you tell me about an interaction you’ve had with

another Swiftie online?

Probe [time]: How long did you interact?

Probe: [motivation] What made you want to connect with them?

Probe: What site were you on?

Prompt: What did you talk about?

Probe: How did you feel about them after the interaction?

Probe: [future meetings] Would you be interested in interacting with them again?

Why or why not?

[Community/ perception of the community/ connection with others] How do the interactions

you have with other Swifties online make you feel about the fandom?

Probe: Do these communities make you feel positive, negative or neutral about the

fandom?

[connection with others] Are there any inside jokes, code words, or references that only online

Swifties would understand?

Follow up: How, if at all, does being a part of those jokes make you feel about the

fandom?

Follow-up [Community/ connection with others] When talking to other Swifties online, what do

you talk about?

Probe: Do you strictly talk about Taylor or do other topics come up?

[Community] Can you tell me about any connections you have made with other Swifties online

that you would consider friends?

[community] Can you tell me how those connections started?

[Community/ perception of the community] How does having online Swiftie friends

make you feel about Taylor Swift?

Probe: Does it motivate you to listen to her music, attend her events or buy merch?

[Community/ future meetings] Can you tell me about any in-person fandom activities you

participate in, if any?

Prompt: Such as fan meet-ups or Taylor Swift-themed events?

If yes: How do your in-person interactions differ from your online interactions?

Ending Questions

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?

Appendix G Transcripts

Transcript 1

Connected via Reddit

33 years old

Fan since the beginning

Kansas City, MO

● Finds Swift relatable, noted being the same age

● Avoids places online that are negative (i.e. Facebook)

● Likes spending time on Reddit talking about Taylor Swift as well as non-Swiftie things

with other Swifties

● Loves Taylor’s music

● Has in-person Swiftie friends

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long have you been a fan of Taylor Swift?

I am basically the same age as Taylor. I remember listening to debut and hearing it on the radio. I

have this specific memory of when the song “Love Story” came out. I was like a junior in high

school, and I'm in my bedroom reading “Twilight,” because that's just what you did in 2007. I'm

just reading “Twilight” and listening to “Love Story,” and thinking, “Wow! My boyfriend is

such a jerk.” I still talk about this to this day, and it's funny. So, I've listened to her for quite a

while.

What are some things that you like about Taylor Swift?

I like that she's just kind of goofy, and she's relatable. Like her cats—I don't have cats, but I have

dogs and I'm just as obsessed with my dog as she is with her cats. I love that she bakes. She's just

very a wholesome type of person, and then, as you hear more about her humanitarian

philanthropy work that just makes her come off as a great human being.

Where are some places that you interact with other Swifties online?

Reddit or TikTok. And I feel like those 2 communities are pretty positive. I don't really use

Facebook, because Facebook itself is pretty toxic. So, I tend to avoid that. And then I tend to not

read comments on Instagram memes of Taylor stuff. I have a lot of girlfriends who love Taylor,

so we just send memes back and forth.

Have you ever interacted with Taylor Swift online?

Have you ever seen somebody else interacting with Taylor Swift online?

I've seen the videos, but no one I've known personally. I remember she used to show up to

people's events, and I thought that was really cool. But I've just never been the type of person to

reach out to a celebrity and be like, “Hey, come to this,” or just even slide into an influencer's

DM's. That's just not me.

How did seeing that interaction make you feel about Taylor Swift?

It makes me feel like she's actually the one that's behind her social media, and it makes her fans

feel special. I have a kind of relatable thing. So, it was probably 2015. I posted on my Instagram,

which was public at the time, my 98 degrees CD and how I was still listening to it. I hashtagged

98 degrees, and one of the guys from 98 degrees liked my post. I was like, “Oh, my God! This

dude from 98 degrees like my post, that's wild.” I don't really think about it until something like

this comes up.

So, seeing Taylor interact with other Swifties, did it make you feel any type of way about

like those people that she was interacting with?

No, I’m like, “That's awesome for them,” and then continue scrolling.

Speaking of scrolling. Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in Taylor's social media

posts?

No. That's too much work. I'm content with other people figuring it out and then reading about it.

It's the same thing with some of the podcasts for Vanderpump rules like when a scandal is going

down. I would just read the recaps, because I don't feel like listening to these people.

Can you tell me about any other brands or celebrities that you've seen trying to replicate

the way Taylor interacts with her fans.

You obviously see brand managers of major brands like Duolingo, or random makeup companies

or Scrub Daddy interacting with fans. You see TikTok comments of these brand managers trying

to engage with people and saying snarky things. You'll see screenshots from accounts like

Wendy's social media manager saying something outlandish. They're just trying to get attention.

I feel like because Taylor has mastered it, they're just trying to emulate what she's doing. I think

it just kind of depends on who it is. Paris Hilton has her own following. I read her memoir.

Britney has her own Stan army and I read her memoir, and I've also followed how the fans are

trying to promote her and what's that song that Justin Timberlake put out with the same name

that whole thing that was going down. I was like, “This is funny. I can appreciate this.” It's such

an interesting thing because it all depends on who the actual fans are and how they can relate

because you're not going to do that with a random sports player. They're not going to do that.

Do you own any Taylor Swift merchandise?

I have a popcorn bucket from the movie, and I have some old CDs. But that's it.

What motivated you to buy any Taylor Swift merchandise?

With the Eras Tour movie merch, I figured this is considerably less expensive than buying actual

stuff at the concert. I'm still going to want popcorn and a slushy cause so might as well spend

$20 extra [for a special edition popcorn bucket and cup.]

How does owning that Taylor Swift merchandise make you feel about Taylor?

Indifferent. I guess it is kind of cool. I'm hoping that when I do finally have children, we have

girls, and I can be like “We love Taylor Swift, and then look at all this like random clothing I

kept from when I was in college.” I'm just hoping we have girls, and they're excited about it.

When Taylor puts out new content do you listen to it?

Oh, yeah, whenever “Midnights” was announced and released, I like lying in bed with my ear

pods so I can listen to it, but like not to disrupt my husband. Still kind of winding down for bed.

So, I listened to it the second it dropped.

Have you ever seen Taylor Swift live?

No, I'm actually not like a huge concert person. It's just a lot of people.

So now that I know a little bit more about your relationship with Taylor, I want to talk

about your behavior in online Swiftie Fandom. You mentioned Reddit. So, of thinking that

space. How do you feel about interacting with people in online spaces?

I've done it for a long time. I've had my account on Reddit for 10 years, and I had one before, but

a classmate of mine found it, and so I was like, oh, we're going to delete that. I like interacting

with people online because its kind of helps you get a different perspective than what you

normally have. But also, I'm used to doing it because I don't have a lot of friends who like to

watch “Real Housewives” like me and felt like I was like my own little bubble, just watching

this. I started doing that because it was just nice to discuss like episodes, it's just kind of fun to

see how other people are viewing things, dissecting things. Also, I feel like if I get too obsessive

with it, I might annoy some of my friends, so I try to just keep it on social media.

How would you say communicating online compares to communicating in person?

Sometimes I feel like online stuff, you don't get your full thoughts out just because you're trying

to get like short little sentences out, because it's a lot of typing sitting there putting all these

thoughts together, and then in person, it just kind of depends on who the friend is like. If it's the

group of girls I went to go see the Eras tour with at the movie theater, I know, like we'll have a

bunch of banter like we did last night during the Grammys. Then, like a bunch of girls that I

know started sharing Taylor's album art once that was out, and I was one of them. So, everybody

was just liking each other's story. I would say it depends on the thoughts you need to get across.

Sometimes online is a little bit easier, but also could be harder, just depending on if you're in a

typing mood or not, and then in person, it just kind of depends on the people. Or if you get stuck

in a group with someone who's like a “Gaylor.”

Are there any behaviors in online fandom communities that you would expect to see in

person as well?

I would expect that people would just be kind, because I feel like a lot of Taylor's fans are very

kind people. It just feels like a girlhood type thing like we saw it all summer. It was the summer

of women which was really nice, especially after the summer we had when Roe V. Wade was

overturned. Just having, like Taylor, Beyoncé and Barbie all in one summer felt good

Are there any behaviors or interactions that you think could only take place online?

I think a lot of the speculation on her sexuality is a lot larger online because most people don't

have the audacity to say that stuff in person. Most people are pretty mum on things like that.

What are some things that you do over text to indicate how you're feeling when you're

communicating online?

Emojis. I think emojis help, plus the characters you're using, and obviously how you're wording

things and the words that are used. But emojis definitely help give the emotion behind what

you're saying.

What motivates you to connect with other Swifties online?

It's just fun. It's nice to know that there's like a large community of people that like Taylor Swift.

How does the potential of interacting with a person online again make you feel about like

interacting with them?

I feel like most of my online interactions are like one and done. It's also really hard to keep track

of people's usernames. There are some people that I've actually helped them with their

resumes… I'm like, “Hey, add more detail here,” or “Here's some interview tips.” It just kind of

depends on what their post is about. I'm an account manager, so I find all the clients to work

with. Because that's what I do, people start coming to me for help with their resumes or

interviewing, or they're like, “Hey, do you have insight on this company?”

How much time would you say you spend online in Swiftie spaces per week?

It depends on what I have going on. If I have a lot of work events, then I'm barely on social

media. But if it's a quieter week, I'll probably scroll in the evenings or during lunch breaks.

Does the amount of time spent online change when Taylor releases new content?

It has to do with the time I have available. As you get older, you have less time.

How do the interactions you have or observe with other Swifties online make you feel about

the fandom as a whole?

Overall, it's positive. But there are some people who take it to be a little too extreme. The people

who are going to the tours multiple times, it's kind of unfair to others trying to get tickets because

it's so limited. [in reference to a subreddit that tracks Taylor Swift’s flights] I think that's strange.

It's really intrusive. It makes me worry about her safety.

What are some interactions or places online that you've observed that make you feel

positive about the fandom?

I like when they speak positively about the philanthropy that she's doing. I think that's great

because it draws more attention to important causes.

Are there any inside jokes or code words or references that you think only online Swifties

would understand?

Probably, but none are coming to mind right now.

How, if at all, does being a part of or being aware of these inside jokes make you feel about

the fandom?

It's kind of fun, but sometimes you have to explain yourself to people who aren't part of the

fandom.

When talking to other Swifties online, what are some things you talk about, Taylor-related

or otherwise?

Usually her clothing. I went to a football game and was inspired by one of her outfits.

Are there things that come up that aren't Taylor related when talking with these online?

On the Taylor and Travis subreddit they talk about Kansas City a lot. I comment a lot of random

Kansas City-isms. Someone was talking about how they're [Taylor and Travis] the next

American royal family couple, but the American Royal is actually a barbecue cook-off in Kansas

City. So, I just thought it was really funny that this one person was talking about it and I was

commenting on that.

So still thinking of people interact with online, would you say you've made any friends with

other Swifties online?

Not at this point in time. I do have like one online friend I made when I was like 11, that I still

talk to, over neopets. This girl and I met through neopets, and then just started adding each other

on social media.

Can you tell me about any in person like fandom related activities you participate in?

Taylor Swift Trivia at a brewery. I've done that with some of my friends. We did the Eras movie.

When there's Taylor-themed stuff if some of us are able to go, we go.

How would you say that your interactions with those events are different than how you

would interact with people online?

I feel like they're just a lot more polite. People are a lot more polite to you in person than they

are. If you pick up a phone and call them, or if you're like messaging them because they can't see

that you're an actual person, they can't see your face. They can't see your expressions. So, people

in general are going to be a lot nicer to you in person than they are when they can hide behind

your phone or a screen.

Would you say you feel more positive or more negative about the online Taylor Swift

fandom?

I think it's positive.

Why would you say that is?

I tend to feel like Taylor Swift fans are a specific type of person. We all like certain types of

music, and we all are attracted to certain types of people, and it might be because of their morals

or their ethics, or how they behave. You see, Nicki Minaj, and what she does, and how she

supports her lovely spouse. And then you have Taylor. She doesn't have to say a lot, but you can

still just tell that it's very positive and well-intentioned.

Transcript 2

Stadium Worker Swiftie

Contacted via Reddit

Age: 32

Nashville, TN

Fan since the Debut

● Has gotten more involved in fandom over the years

● Really enjoys the theorizing/ Easter egg hunting

● Talks about how much she loves Taylor’s music

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long have you been a fan of Taylor Swift?

Since the very beginning, like debut. So, 2006/2007. So that's like 17 years. And she talks

about it all the time. She's like, Oh, thank you for supporting me through 17/18 years.

What are some things that you like about Taylor Swift?

I really like her storytelling and the way that she writes songs that people feel like she's

writing about their life, even though she's writing about her own. And I also think that, like

the way she interacts with her fans and with other people. She really makes you feel like you

know her.

What are some places that you interact with Swifties online?

Instagram and Reddit

So now that I have an idea about how you feel about Taylor Swift, we're going to talk

about some of Taylor's online behavior. Have you personally ever interacted with Taylor

online?

She has no idea I exist. But yes, I do. I like her posts. I follow her on Instagram on TikTok,

and that kind of thing.

If you've been a fan since 06 you were there for like the 1989 era, right when she was

really maybe a little more active online than she is now, can you tell me about that

experience?

I definitely wasn't as online then, necessarily as I am now, I was like middle of college then.

So, I definitely was aware of her, and it was like following her on Instagram, but and like

other social media, but I don't think I was as engaged. I've seen videos of her from that time,

and I'm sure I saw them back in the day when they were brand new. But I don't really have

anything specific.

So, if you've never, if you personally have never really interacted with Taylor

specifically, have you ever seen any other interactions between Taylor and Fans online?

Yes. I've definitely seen her comments on people's things. Or she liked it. I've definitely seen

all of those things. And I like to watch the videos that people make when they react or are

reacting to her comment. So that's always really fun.

When you see those videos of Taylor liking somebody's post and then talking about it,

how does that make you feel about Taylor Swift?

I'm incredibly jealous of them. But I just think it really speaks to her as a person, and how

much she genuinely seems to care about her fans and she genuinely appreciates them. And she

knows how much she means to them. She knows that even just her doing something as small

as watching one of the posts they make or commenting makes their entire life.

Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in Taylor's social media posts, and if so, can

you tell me about that experience?

Yes. It makes me feel insane sometimes. It's hard not to look, like read into her social media

posts because so much of what she does has hidden meaning within it. Everything means

something. Does it really mean anything like even the things that mean nothing? Can anything

mean nothing when everything means something? I don't know. It just feels sane at the same

time, but also insane. And I feel like interacting with other people who are as insane as I am

makes me feel saner if that makes sense.

Can you explain a little bit about what you mean when you say it makes you feel insane?

It's illogical to look at a picture and an Instagram comment and think that it has some secret

hidden meeting like normal people don't do that. Normal people don't do that. Normal people

don't go looking for hidden clues and things. Or if they do, they're like psycho conspiracy

theorists, which I'm definitely not. It's a meaning when it comes to her and it's logical. But at

the same time, it's so illogical. You're like, “Am I making this all up in my head?”

Can you tell me about any brands or celebrities that you've seen trying to replicate the

way Taylor interacts with her fans.

You know, I don't really? I think we definitely see brands taking a more personal approach in

terms of interacting with your fans and commenting and stuff like that. I think the only one

that even kind of reminds me of her is Duolingo. He kind of has the same unhinged vibes;

they post things that make reference to other things and interact a lot in the comments with

their fans. I guess we would call them their followers. But I think what she's done is really in a

lot of ways unique to her, and not something that I've really ever seen anyone replicate, at

least not as well as she has on the scale that she has. I think a lot of that, not necessarily so

much anymore, what she does, but more of what she did in the past, especially in like her

early days, when she was a lot more active on things like myspace and Tumblr. Her like

starting out with a lot of personal interactions with her band, even as it dwindles down still

has that historical base to it. So, it feels like she's interacting with us and still connecting with

us as much as she used to even know. In reality, she's not.

Can you tell me about any Taylor Swift merchandise that you have?

I own this sweatshirt. I think most of the Taylor merchandise I own has honestly been since

the Tour started, aside from albums. I have most of those, at least from the original run. I don't

have as many of the newer ones, only because I don't have a CD player to play them in

anymore. Most of the merch I had is from the more recent eras. I've got couple of sweatshirts,

the quarters zips from tour and T-shirts, too. Most of my non-album merch purchases have

been really recent. Mostly, since the Eras tour started. I've always been a really big fan of

hers, but I think my participation in the fandom as a whole rather than just as an observer, and

definitely increased a lot since the tour started.

What made you want to buy the merch that you do have?

I just feel like I need to have it. I don't like a lot of the merch that is plastered with her face all

over it. I like a lot of the more simplistic, subtle merch given that I am an adult with my own

apartment, and so I don't necessarily want it to look like I live in a shrine to her as much as I

may feel like that on the inside. In terms of why I bought the particular merch that I bought; I

tend to buy the merch that doesn't necessarily look like merch. Being active in the fandom

also kind of fuels that. I feel like when I see other people buy it, I feel like I also need to own

it and I feel like I'm missing out on things by not owning it. So, I think that also plays a big

role. I like having it. I like her. Her music makes me happy, so having her stuff also makes me

happy.

When Taylor puts out new content do you listen to it immediately?

Yes, because I would not be able to function. Not knowing would eat at me. It would haunt

me all day if I knew that it was out there, just existing and lurking, and I didn't know what it

was.

You touched on this a little bit when Taylor puts out new merchandise are you

motivated to buy it?

Yes, depending on what it is. Depending on the state of my bank account at that current

moment. Yeah, I definitely am. I'm definitely like more selective about when I choose to buy

in terms of aesthetic. I would look at the merch shops whenever they put out new stuff. Most

of the time I have to talk myself out of buying more than a reasonable adult should.

Tell me about your experience seeing Taylor live.

It was incredible. The show is so good. I had wanted to see her on other tours, and I didn't get

the chance to. So, it was really exciting to finally, after all this time, after being a fan of hers

for so long see it in person. Pittsburgh was the first show that had tickets for. I live in

Nashville. My sister lives in Pittsburgh. So, Pittsburgh was the only show that we were able to

get Presale for. Thank God we got those tickets. But I really wanted to see her when she was

here in Nashville, but I wasn't going to spend $3,000 on it, so I got a job working at Nissan

Stadium, taking tickets, and so I got paid to see all 3 shows. So, I got to see all 3 of those

shows as well. And then I got tickets to see her in Indianapolis in the fall.

How much money would you say you spent on Eras tour tickets?

Including Indianapolis in the fall, maybe 2 or $3,000. So not an exorbitant amount, but

thankfully my sister lives in Pittsburgh so we didn't have any hotel or cost, or anything. But

Indianapolis is going to be quite the expenditure.

I think it's really cool that you took a job at Nissan Stadium for the chance to see Taylor

Swift.

It was. I wanted so badly to see it. I was desperate to see it.

Did anybody else do that? Were there other people who we're working there just to

watch the show?

Maybe a third or half of the people who worked that particular show were there because it

was that show. One of my friends saw a post about it on Facebook. I applied and got

approved. And it was the best decision.

How did seeing Taylor live make you feel about her?

It only heightened the love and respect that I have for her and have for her music. I don't

necessarily think it changed any of my feelings about her. It confirmed that I was not as crazy

as I felt for being such a big fan of hers, especially seeing how much the Eras tour has been

appreciated by people as a whole, and not just people who are who are Swifties. People

recognize her talent and appreciate it. It has been a really neat and really, really, really fun

experience.

Now that I know a little bit more about your relationship with Taylor Swift, I want to

talk about your behavior in the online Swiftie fandom. How do you feel about

interacting with people online?

I love interacting with people online. I think online friendships are interesting. And they're

really different from friendships you make in real life. I think, because they're always sort of

predicated on mutual shared interest. I think a lot of like real-life friendships like you don't

necessarily like the same things as the people you're friends with. Obviously, you have some

things in common, but not necessarily like your favorite things. And I think that when you

interact with people in an online space with a shared interest it's a lot easier to be yourself in

terms of expressing your love of a certain show or person, or whatever.

What are some behaviors in online fandoms that you might expect to see as a part of in

person fandoms?

I definitely think the discussion of her Easter eggs and secret hints is definitely something that

sort of leaks over into real life. I work part time at an ice rink, and I see lots of, I mean lots, of

Taylor’s fans there. Yesterday we had a group of girls in there for a girl’s hockey tournament,

and all of a sudden, they just started screaming. We're like, “what the hell's going on?” And

they're like, “reputation Taylor's Version is coming out tonight! She's changed her profile

picture!” I definitely see a lot of that. I think you see more of the really deep dive, perhaps a

bit unhinged, things online that people wouldn't necessarily do in real life.

What are some things you do over text to indicate how you're feeling when you're

communicating online.

Emojis, or like reactions to like the different emoji reactions to messages other people send? I

think, like in general and in online spaces with Taylor Swift, people are not shy to talk about

their feelings, and it’s a safer place than the real world to say exactly what you think about

her, like how much you love her.

What motivates you to connect with others online?

It makes me feel less insane to know that there are other people out there who like her as

fervently as I do. It can be kind of isolating sometimes to feel like you don't have any friends

in real life that, like the same thing you do, to feel like you're the only one who likes it. The

online community is not like that at all, because you automatically have this whole group of

people at your disposal, and people you can connect with, and you already have a you know, a

mutual thing that you both loves.

How would you say the potential of interacting with a person or interacting with them

again makes you feel about talking to them?

I think it's fun to talk about Taylor. So, when it's other people who also, like Taylor Swift

there is a lot less pressure online. I know even at the Eras tour, or in the theaters with the

friendship bracelets there's a lot of social anxiety behind going up and talking to people you

don't know, even though you're all there for the same reason. But online, it’s not quite as

much of that feeling.

How much time would you say you spend online in Swiftie spaces? Like, per week.

Oh, God. An embarrassing amount of time probably more than I should. Two to three hours a

day. It also kind of depends on what else is going on. When she's actively touring, and there

are shows to watch and things to talk about, it definitely increases, and I know that, like

leading up to the show, I definitely spend a lot more time there than I necessarily do now, just

because I'm back at work.

And would you say you'd spend more time in those spaces when she releases new content

Yeah, for sure. Just because there are more things to dissect, more songs to read way too far

into.

Can you tell me about an interaction you've had with another Swiftie online?

One of my favorite people to interact with online is Sarah, the girl who runs Taylor Swift

style. I’ve spoken with her via DMs a couple of times, and she's always really sweet. She's

elderly like me. So, we both have the same shared love of debut that no one else seems to

appreciate. It’s really exciting to see people who put so much into contributing to the online

space to see that kind of payoff for them and open up new opportunities for them in real life

as opposed to just on the Internet.

Thinking about interactions you've had with people online, you mentioned Sarah

specifically, was that on Instagram?

Yes.

What made you initially want to reach out and connect?

I really like the content she posts, and she also has a really fluffy cat, and I own 2. I love cats.

I've got 2 of them, so we both have a shared interest and a shared love of debut which is

underappreciated for the time being. But it will have its day.

What are some things that you all talk about?

We've talked about debut quite a bit and talked about cats. A lot of times I feel like I am the

oldest person in the online space. As an elder Swiftie it's easy to feel like it's all people who

are younger than you, and so it's nice to connect with someone who's your age and not feel

like you're an adult hanging out with children all the time. It makes me want to keep talking to

her.

How do the interactions you have with other Swifties online make you feel about the

fandom?

It definitely increased my love of the fandom. It's really nice to share the things you love with

people who love the same things you love. If I talk to any other normal non-Swiftie person

about Taylor Swift as much as I talk to Swifties they’d probably be very concerned for my

sanity. It's just nice to meet other people who are kind and welcoming. I worked in a lot of

different customer service jobs, and they [Swifties as Nissan Stadium] were by far the nicest

customers ever. No one yelled at me, no one screamed at me, no one accused me of ruining

their life. It's been a really fun experience to interact with the fandom more in this era than I

necessarily have in the past.

Are there any inside jokes or code words or references that you think only online with

these would understand?

Yes

And how, if at all, this being a part of these jokes make you feel about the fandom?

It's fun. It's a bonding thing to feel like you're in the know about something that outsiders

aren't privy to.

When you're talking to other Swifties online. What are some things you talk about?

Travis Kelce, her music, what album she's going to drop next, what surprise song she's going

to sing it at the next show, what she's wearing, what secret signals she's sending, album

rankings, song rankings, demanding for justice for debut.

Do you strictly talk about Taylor with others? Or do other topics come up?

Other topics definitely come up in the chat. I don't necessarily talk about other topics as much,

only because I am definitely one of the oldest people in this particular chat that I'm in. So, it's

not as much for me to relate to in that sense.

Can you tell me about any online Swifties you've met that you would now consider

friends?

I don't really know if there's any that I have gotten close enough to. I wouldn’t call them

friends, more like acquaintances only because, a lot of the ones that I happened to be in the

group chat with are a lot younger than I am. If I was to find a group chat of elderly Swifties,

perhaps it would be a little a little bit different

Can you tell me about any in person things you do, if there are any?

Mostly just going to the shows or talking to people I see out and about that have Taylor

merch.

How would you say these in-person interactions with these are different from the online

interactions?

They're similar, but not quite the same in the sense that they’re limited to that moment in time.

And then you never see that person ever again. It's fun to get to talk to a bunch of different

people about her, and having that common connection with people everywhere you go, but I

definitely think it's not as in depth as some of the conversations that we would have in the

group chat about her.

Transcript 3

Page 23

Contacted via Reddit

Located in NYC

Fan since Red

● Observes in some spaces, but very active on Discord

● Also sees negativity online by tries to avoid it

● Sought out a group for stoner Swifties

● Bought multiple copies of each CD to support Swift’s album sales

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long have you been a fan of Taylor Swift?

Since about 2008 or so original, “Fearless” era. I mean I knew who she was before that and I had

seen the “Teardrops on My Guitar” music video on radiodisney.com. I was 8 at the time of the

original “Fearless” era. But I became a Stan during the original “Red” release/ end of original

“Speak Now” era in late 2011, early, 2012. So, the first album release I was fully around for and

immersed in fandom in was the original “Red” era. So, I would say I've been a stan for 12/13

years!

What are some things that you like about Taylor Swift?

I do really love her music. The way that relatability comes across in her music, even though I'm

very aware of the fact that we have very different lives…I think she's very good at really

capturing moments and feelings that are kind of universal to the human experience. So, I really

love that. And, that's really what has kept me kept me around for so long. I'm mostly a fan of her

general, public persona as well. I've had a lot of fun following the eras tour.

I feel I would be less of a fan if she did weird things, which she done, but she generally doesn't.

The private jet stuff is really bad, and it was a bad look trying to sue that college kid for tracking

her.

What are some places that you interact with Swifties online?

Discord mostly. Twitter a little bit. Not so much interaction, though. I just mostly observe there.

And Reddit a little bit.

Have you personally ever interacted with Taylor Swift online?

No.

Have you ever seen Taylor interacting with other people online? This can be liking posts or

commenting on a post or things of that nature.

Yes, many times. I was. Yes, I was around for the original “1989” era, where she was always on

Tumblr, which I have mixed feelings about that during that time, because it caused so much

drama within the fandom.

Can you elaborate on that drama in the fandom a little bit?

There were a lot of people that really, really, really wanted to get a Taylor notice, and it just

caused a lot of cattiness amongst big accounts.

Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in any of Taylor's social media posts?

Not really. I usually just see it, read the caption and it. I know she does the Easter egg thing. And

some people have a lot of fun trying to decode that and make theories, but I don't. I just wait for

an announcement pretty much.

Can you tell me about any brands or celebrities that you have seen trying to interact with

their fans the same way Taylor does?

When she announced the new album, brands posted their version of the album cover with the

logo.

How does it make you feel about the brand when you see brands replicate an album cover

to promote their brand, how does that make you feel about them?

They are a brand, so they are just trying to capitalize on her many fans. Brands that are super try-

hard Duolingo give me the ick, so if there's ever a brand super in the replies trying to engage

with Swifties, I'm like, “I don't know” Taylor herself is a brand as well and, she has things to

promote on her social media as well. But I feel these days it's pretty rare to get a notice from her

or a reply. And I do think that after the original “1989” era, she learned to dial that back. I think

right now her interaction with fans on social media is pretty balanced. When brands do it, I just

feel mostly neutral

Do you own any Taylor swift merchandise?

I have all of her CD’s, but I have. I have a few T-shirts.

What made want to buy them?

CDs in general. I have a bunch of CDs that are not Taylor’s either. I listen to the albums on my

phone, really, but I still do have a physical version of it. When I was younger, I used to get the

CD because it's an extra copy, so she can get more sales, but I don't feel that way that much

anymore. If there's a shirt that's a cute design I’d buy it and wear it. Everyone in my life knows

I'm a big fan of her.

Have you ever seen Taylor Swift live?

I've seen the Red tour, reputation and eras tour.

Can you tell me a little bit about that experience?

Red was my first concert I had just turned 13. That was pretty special. She’s the biggest artist in

the world and most other concerts you go to do not have the same level. Just seeing a show of

that level of production, caliber is really, cool and special, and to be at the show with so many

other people. You can tell that she and her team put a lot into the shows. They're always a lot, a

lot of fun.

Do you know approximately how much money was spent on going to those tours?

Red tour was about $100 for floor seats, which was really good. Reputation I went with my best

friend from high school. I think it was about $150 each, also for floor seats, so also pretty good

price. I actually went to 2 dates for reputation because…we won the tickets. So those were free.

And then eras we got tickets also from my best friend from high school. We got tickets during

the Presale and they were $230 for lower bowl seats, which is also a good price. And then I

ended up getting tickets to another date as well in the same section. I believe they were $20 more

so $249. I would not have spent $2,000, or whatever on tickets.

How do you feel about interacting with people in online spaces?

It makes me a little bit anxious. I feel I have a lot easier of a time coming across as myself in

person. Some people are more comfortable interacting online versus in person. But a lot of times

online I’ll type something out, and then just not even end up sending it or delete it, because I’m

worried that it sounds weird or that I will come across badly. I’m, generally more hesitant

interacting online than in person. Because, online, it's just text, and there's not tone or body

language. It’s harder to get an immediate follow up or clarification if needed. All of those factors

make me a bit hesitant about interacting more online, but I still do it.

What are some things you do over text to indicate how you're feeling when you

communicate online?

I like emojis. I use a lot of emojis and tone tags. Tone tags are a thing mostly in discord and I

find them useful.

What motivates you to connect with other people online?

Loneliness, or if it's not loneliness, just other people to explore a common interest with.

Does the potential of interacting with a person online again? Impact the way you feel about

talking with them?

I'm in a in a discord server that continually runs a game where you vote on two songs for which

one you like better. There are a bunch of people that are server regulars, and then there are some

people that drop in just occasionally to vote but don't participate in the server every day. I would

say, if there's someone new that drops in the server and becomes active, I keep an eye on how

they interact and what kind of person they are. There's a lot of times in the server. Since it’s not

very big people will ask, “Oh, hey! What's up? How are you?” And people will side chat about

stuff that's going on in their personal life. There are a lot of ranges of ages in the server. A lot of

teenagers, but also a lot of adults like me, and we get called old all the time. If this person is,

going to be kind a regular in the online space I want to know, what their deal is.

How much time would you say you spend in these online, Swiftie spaces per week?

Depending on the week, probably anywhere from 5 to 10 hours. I was spending a lot more time

online last year. I had just gotten fired and had just gotten dumped. That's when I found the

server and it was really nice because I was able to, meet and connect with people while going

through a rough time. And also, I had time to kill because I suddenly had no job. Once I got a job

my time decreased accordingly.

Do you think the amount of time you spend online changes when Taylor releases new

content?

Not really. No, I know it does for a lot of people.

How does the way you communicate with Swifties online differ from in person?

Online, I have that cautious element that I feel like I have less of in person. My best example of

interacting with Swifties in person is Taylor Swift nights at clubs. I'm hoping to go to one of

those again soon. I feel like I can be myself more in person.

Can you tell me about a specific interaction that you've had with another Swiftie online?

There's a person named Gabby in the server that is my age, and we're online friends, although,

they live on the West coast, and I live on the East coast. There was a time where I was newer to

the server and we were dming about how Taylor dropped “Eyes Open” Taylor's version, and “If

This Was a Movie,” and “All of the Girls,” before the tour we were talking about that. I was like,

“I'm going to get really high before I listen to the songs,” and they were, “Oh, my God! Me too!”

and then we spent a little while trying to find a server, because there's a subreddit for Stoner

Swifties. That was a cute moment.

Another really cool interaction is that, so I have a friend she's also a fan of Taylor, a lot more of a

casual fan. She's also in grad school at Indiana University, Bloomington, although she's from

New Jersey and for a while last year had a second job as an organizer for the United Electrical

Union. They were doing campaigns across many different schools in the country, Indiana

University being one of them, and then she became a temporary organizer for them as well, and

one of the schools that had a Union election recently was University of Minnesota. There's a

friend that I have in the discord server that mentioned something about voting in the Union

election, and then I told Anne that I had a friend in the server that was going to vote yes, on the

Union, and it made her so happy.

How do these interactions that you have with other Swifties make you feel about the

fandom?

There's a lot of toxicity coming from various different angles. The stereotypical toxicity is when

a fan thousands of fans swarm a journalist on Twitter, but I'm more disconnected from that side.

I mean I do hear about it happening, and hear people complaining about it. But I don't participate

in that way. And I've met a lot of really nice people in the fandom both online and in person, that

I'm in touch with a lot. I’ve had largely very positive interactions online and in person with

people, and not saying that the toxicity does not exist, because I have seen it happen. I tend to try

to stay in the spaces with good vibes, only, and again, not that toxic fans that yell at people for

expressing negative opinions about Taylor Swift don't exist, and I know there are a lot of them.

And that's what people mean when they say, well, “I like Taylor Swift, but I hate her fans.” I try

to cultivate as positive in online space that I can for myself.

Are there any inside jokes or codewords or references that you think only online Swifties

would understand?

Yes, a lot of the examples that are coming to mind. Things from years ago that newer fans might

not necessarily know, but they could probably get caught up to speed, if they hear about it from

someone else.

How, if at all, does, being a part of these jokes make you feel about the fandom?

Well on one hand, I think it's cute and kind of unites a community. On the other hand, people

clowning kind of get annoying. I don’t really lean into the ridiculous stuff.

How does having online Taylor Swift friends make you feel about Taylor Swift?

More positively just because I've been able to meet nice people through her. I’ve had pretty

positive experiences with most fans of hers that I've met both online and in person. This doesn't

really have much to do with her, because there are nice people in many fandoms of other

musicians or other media. There's something about her music or her concerts that, cultivates

positivity. Everyone was very nice at my concert and I've dealt with some really mean people at

concerts.

That’s all I have, is there anything you’d like to add?

I would like to at some point one day meet up with fans that I know from online and meet them

in person or see them again. I'm definitely interested in meeting in real life the friends I’ve met

through the fandom.

Transcript 4

Page 27

Writer

Contacted via Reddit

Fan since Red

● Really loves Taylor’s songwriting

● Feels Taylor is relatable

● Noted a competitiveness in trying to get noticed by Taylor

● Appreciates Taylor’s positivity and called her a role model

● Said it can be hard to read tone online

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long have you been a fan of Taylor Swift?

I've been aware of her music since I'd say 2009 ish I remember that one of I think I either heard

“Love Story,” or “You Belong with Me” first, and I heard them/saw them as music videos on the

radio Disney website. Cause that's really showing my age. Really “Red” cemented my feeling of

wanting to be a fan and stay in the fandom and be a Swiftie and I've been on this wild roller

coaster ever since. There's no getting off it. I write myself. Not songs or poetry, but I write

fiction, so I think there's some probably like kindred spirit aspect and influence of her writing on

mine. I relate to the hopeless, romantic aspect of Taylor's work, especially the early stuff. Certain

aesthetics she's chosen lately really click with me like the folklore/ evermore more stuff is really

some of my favorites. I'm excited to see where the tortured poets department takes us. The novel

I'm working on right now is like a dead poets society retelling of sorts.

What are some of the other things you like about Taylor Swift?

I like that she wants to be relatable as much as she can, even though she's now multi-million,

possibly billionaire and doesn't really get that normal life anymore. She's still human and still has

the same feelings and emotions that we all can experience, and she wants us to know that we are

not alone in that. I got to go to the 1989 tour back in 2015, and the “clean speeches” that she did

like before she sang “Clean,” were one of my favorite parts. She cares about people, and she

wants us to know that. And she wants us to know that we're not alone. I know I already said that.

But like it's true. There's just something about the way, too, that she praises certain things in

songs that really catch my attention. I think that's definitely one of the things that has kept me

hanging on, because I feel like so many other artists these days repeat the same verse and chorus

so much in their songs, whereas she, even in her more pop type stuff, varies it a bit and gives us

words like clandestine and Machiavellian. Especially Machiavellian, which is in a pop song

that's incredible. So, I think there's definitely some of like the writer English major. I like

that shared love of words. And I think, especially when I was younger it was good to see like

she was acting her age generally, and maybe she was acting a bit younger like she wasn't trying

to grow up too fast. Even though she was in the spotlight. It was nice to have someone who

wanted to celebrate being young and everything. And now she's still acting her age just fine. I'm

okay with her you know, swearing more in her music and being more open about drinking,

because she's 34-year-old woman. She can live her life, but she wasn't going out and getting in

trouble, like I think other female celebrities at the time that maybe would have been role models

for girls, my age. That was a big pull at the beginning.

Where are some places that you interact with Swifties online?

Primarily Tumblr, a little bit on Reddit. I follow the main thread and “True Swiftie,” which can

be a mixed bag of people want to actually be critical of her, or want to be kind about things, but

it's better than the main one at times, in my opinion. I’m not as much on Twitter and a little on

Instagram, but primarily there, I follow people who create fan art and things around Taylor. One

account creates different cocktails based around Taylor songs, and there’s someone who does

cross-stitching-type things about Taylor.

Have you personally ever interacted with Taylor online?

No, I was definitely around in like the Tumblr era when she was very active on there and people

were trying to get her attention. The most I ever did on Tumblr was maybe 2 or 3 posts about

what I was going to be wearing/where I was sitting in the hopes that if her team was looking for

people, I would maybe get pulled. But I wasn't going out of my way really to get noticed.

Can you tell me about a time that you've seen Taylor interacting with other fans online?

One of the big ones is definitely when she was learning to use Tumblr and everything and other

people were like “This is how you can re-blog stuff and like find stuff to follow. These are like

tags you can find and stuff,” and then it was always fun to see how she or her team would pull

certain people for club 89 or the rep room. I remember following more people around that time

who got mysteriously silent around the time of the show, and then got to go and see her. I think

the big ones that I know about was when a bug creator on Tumblr that I was aware of got to meet

her during the rep era, and that was the pinnacle of it. She was back, and we were so glad that

she was back again, and we could support her and love her.

How does seeing these interactions make you feel about Taylor?

I don’t think I felt overly positive, but it was still like a fun interaction. I think I was still

somewhat aware that this is somewhat of a marketing tool for her, but she didn't have to use it if

she didn't want to, and that some of the ways that she was interacting with people felt, and

probably were, very genuine. Like getting excited about people's achievements, like graduations

or engagements, or having a baby. Then, like some of the funny things she would say. Like

“Stars, do you like dem?” And things like that when we were questioning how she drew stars.

How did seeing these interactions make you feel about like other Swifties?

It depends because there was definitely a period where people spam re-blogging their own posts

just trying to get her to notice them, and that got really obnoxious. But people who weren't

overdoing it made me feel happy for them. Especially if they were someone I thought was

deserving, and I knew that they were having a really joyful moment to have that interaction with

her.

Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in any of Taylor's social media posts?

Absolutely. I think I've started to look less, so I'm just kind of like I'm along for this ride, and if it

means new music or something, yay. I'm not going to look too closely at emojis and what she's

wearing anymore. The Lover era definitely cured me of that.

Can you tell me about any other brands or celebrities that you've seen trying to replicate

the way Taylor interacts with her fans?

I work in book publishing, and so I feel like there's definitely a level of marketing, specifically

for teens on social media. It reminds me of that 2014, 2015, Tumblr era of people actually

getting to know some of the marketers behind the brand and befriending them in that way in

ways that felt like they were befriending Taylor and wanting a notice from her, or some

recognition. A specific example is penguin teen, they tend to like to make a lot of Swiftie

references these days and things. Most brands do because they want to hop on the bandwagon,

but I think Penguin was doing it long before it was super popular.

Can you tell me how you feel about those brands that you see trying to replicate Taylor?

I don't think it always makes me want to suddenly start getting their products necessarily, if I

wasn't already interested in them. What works for me is seeing pretty items I want. I do

appreciate brands that are actually trying to communicate and have some transparency with their

consumers and followers. The Owl Crate subscription boxes are really in touch on Instagram.

They're great about pulling different memes and things in ways that I think Taylor was good at

back in the day and trying to be fun and share their interests.

Do you own any Taylor swift merchandise?

Yes. I think I own about one shirt or so per era. I don’t have anything for debut or “Fearless”

because those were pre-my time, even though I enjoyed them like I wasn't quite there for those

eras. I've gotten a lot of unofficial merch at this point, like candles…lots of small things like that.

I really love seeing how creative everyone can be on Etsy. I know, there are a lot of people who

do like more generic shirts, and people doing things for eras tour, but I've always liked the

smaller business owners that do pretty art, involving Taylor in some way.

What motivated you to buy that?

I think most of it at least the beginning was just getting a shirt with them when I would go to the

tour and getting the tour books, because I like having that to display. I own at least one CD for

each album. Some of the more recent ones like it's it has increased to more than one if I had to

get the target version to get a bonus track. I have the pullover from the folklore era that says,

“you drew stars around my scars” line. Love Taylor. I don't like having her face in all my

clothing, it's subtle.

How does owning that make you feel about Taylor Swift?

It helps tie in with the overall feeling of enjoying her music and her work for me. I have t-shirts

and stuff for a couple TV shows I enjoy, too. It’s a fun tie-in or extra way to enjoy something

that I love.

When Taylor puts out new content how soon would you say you listen to it?

New music immediately. If she somehow dropped it while I've been asleep, as soon as I wake

up. The music videos generally within that first day. If the album and video drop at the same

time I'll go to the album first 100%. I think that was the case with Folklore and Cardigan, so I

didn't watch the Cardigan music video until after I'd finished listening to the whole album. For

the eras movie, I saw it opening weekend at a Saturday or Sunday matinee show because I was

hoping that would mean a chiller viewing crowd and everything. If she is seen in a chief's game,

or she shares a TikTok I'm usually on Tumblr, and that's how I find out that it's happened. I'll

still consume it within 24 hours definitely.

Why do you feel motivated to consume it as soon as it's put out?

I want to make sure that I can share my opinion right away about it, and that it doesn't get

spoiled. I don't want someone talking about the sound of a song or lyrics and spoiling that for

me. Some of it is just because I enjoy it. I want to be able to consume it as soon as possible and

absorb it. I can't do it as much anymore, but when I was a teenager it was the same way with

books that came out. I would get them the day they were published, and I would want to dive in

immediately as soon as school was over that afternoon. It's hard now, with a job and other

responsibilities, but I think music from Taylor is easier to devote that space to, because either it's

at midnight. So, I'm just already chilling in bed, or if I am doing something then it can be

happening while I’m doing chores and stuff too.

Can you tell me about seeing Taylor live?

I've gone to every tour since red. I was really fortunate to get eras tickets I didn't get them during

the initial presale, but then I got a second chance email, so I managed to get a ticket for me and a

friend to go to see her at Met Life. I was there for the “Karma” music video premiere and Jack

Antonoff and “getaway car.” Don't think I fully recovered from that moment. I saw her on Red

Tour and rep as well. Red Tour was actually my first concert ever, and that was very magical.

I've managed to see her in 3 different states now, just because of nature, like moving and college

and things. But I've seen her twice at Met Life because I was here for reputation as well.

I think Eras topped that just slightly, partly because it wasn't raining. I was able to get lower

bowl for eras as opposed to reputation, where I was far back in those bleeds.

How much money you spent for each tour?

Red was $50 a piece. It was my mom and me and we just wanted to be in the stadium and go to

my first Taylor show. We probably spent a little bit more with hotel and dinner at the stadium,

and then, we both got T-shirts. 1989 our tickets before fees were about $75, and so then,

probably with fees, they were about $100. Reputation is definitely hard to say, that price doesn’t

stick in my head. I know that I didn't get the tickets until like 2 months before to show, because I

didn't know where I was going to be living at the time. For eras they were like $275 before fees.

So, I've never paid more than face value. I'm not going to pay $5,000 to see her.

Does, seeing her live, make you want to see her again?

Yes, I'd say so. I normally only go to the tours once. This is a one-time experience, sort of thing

because of the level of money. But I think, now because I am more settled, and it actually made

me like want to see her more. It helps that my best friend, is in England and my backup plan if I

didn't get tickets to show here was to go with her. So, she got us tickets to 2 of the London

shows, so I'll be going there in August.

How do you feel about interacting with other Swifties in these online spaces?

Generally, it brings me joy because I'm like “they do the same thing I do.” I feel like the people I

follow are generally positive about her are willing to criticize her if something feels really off,

but, their first and foremost thought is excitement and enthusiasm about whatever she's created

or whatever she's doing.

How would you say communicating online compares to in person interactions?

I think it's a very mixed bag. I think it's brought me some of my very best friends, including the

one in England, but I think also it can be a space where, it's so hard to read tone. I’ve been in

group chats where there can be so many different people with so many different opinions in

there.

What are some things you do over text to indicate how you're feeling when you

communicate with people online?

Emojis, they're my best friend, and I feel like when communicating with other people in my

general age group, or a little bit younger like we all generally use things like ellipses the same

way. I have occasionally used a tone indicator (/S to say, like, I'm being sarcastic, or something

like that.)

What do you think motivates you to connect with other people online?

It's definitely that longing of like a community of people who like the same thing I do because

when I was a teen and in college it was definitely harder to find people who liked Taylor as

much as I did. A lot of people hated her music, or thought she was annoying, and I still have

vivid memories of being at a table in the cafeteria in college and someone started going off about

how she only wrote about boys, or breakups. And I was like, “I'm just sitting out like sitting here

trying to live my life, and you're just attacking me for no reason.”

So then to seek out the fan spaces on Tumblr and finding people who affirms my enjoyment of

her work.

How does the potential of interacting with the person online again, make you feel about

talking to them?

It can be generally positive. I would not mind interacting with them again at all. I'd want to

maybe get to know them better.

How much time do you think you spend online in Swiftie spaces per week?

I think it does vary a bit, like this past weekend. I was definitely on Tumblr a lot more because of

the Super Bowl. but I'd say, on average 10 to 14 hours a week.

Does it vary when Taylor releases new content? Or does it have more to do with the time

you have available? Or is it some combination of both?

I think it's a big combination. It leans a little bit more towards if she's creating more content,

because if she is, then I will try to devote more time to it. But if I already have other obligations,

or like other plans like that's obviously going to limit the time that I have available just to like

hop on Tumblr or Reddit, and see like for discussion going on, and then get involved in that.

How would you say, the way you communicate with Swifties online differs from how you

communicate with them in person?

I'm better at communicating over written communication than verbal. So, I think I'm slightly

better at expressing my thoughts than if I'm in person. There's still something absolutely special

about listening to a song for the first time with someone in person, and then your immediate

reactions with them. I love seeing people's reactions on Tumblr. I'm not sure the experience can

be replicated quite as well of like the in-person experience.

Can you explain what it is about hearing somebody talk negatively about Taylor Swift that

elicits a reaction in you?

It makes it feel like it's a judgment about me and my tastes. I think some of it goes back to that

point that I brought up at the very beginning of relating to her, because she's the hopeless,

romantic. I think as a writer and as someone like who values honesty I don't like it. when people

are like saying inaccurate things about her. I need to set the record straight. I mean to some

extent in online spaces, I think I've gotten better about avoiding people who are going out of

their way to be negative about her. When you're sitting at a table with your friends, and one of

their other friends joined and then they're suddenly being negative is kind of like. “I'm just trying

to eat my dinner. Why is this coming out of nowhere?”

Thinking about like a time, you've interacted with another Swiftie online, can you tell me a

little bit about that experience?

I tried Bumble BFF for a while, and I managed to find another Swiftie through it, and so we

started following each other on Tumblr. She lives in the Long Island area, so we've never been

able to meet in person, but we bonded over Taylor. Most of the time is just us occasionally liking

a post from the other person or re-blogging it, but then, like occasionally will direct message

each other and be like “oh, I love what you said here,” or “I'm going to be at this show for the

eras,” in hopes that like maybe we could have had a little meetup and exchanged friendship

bracelets.

When you are talking with other Swifties what are some things you talk about?

We'll talk about like what we hope for the new album sound like and like what you think of the

song titles. We'll talk about outfits like whenever she appears on a red carpet… I've been the one

texting my friend in England about like things that are in the evening over here. She's usually

asleep, so she'll wake up to me saying something like the outfits ugly or something like that. And

then what merch would want to buy or bought, stuff about like our lives outside of Taylor.

How do these interactions that you have with Swifties make you feel about the fandom?

Overall positive

Are there any inside jokes or code words or references that you think only online Swifties

would understand?

Some of my friends that I knew in real life that like have become Swifties or already were. I

don't think as many of them would get the 5 holes in the fence reference as opposed to the online

Swifties.

How does being a part of these jokes make you feel?

It is nice to have that little thing that elicits a laugh because they know it. But it's not something I

see or think about every single day. So, then that makes me happy.

You mentioned people you have met online; would you consider those people friends?

I think a handful. Yes, and then the others go to the level comparable to classmates or coworkers.

I don't know quite as many like personal details about their lives. So, I wouldn't say that we’re

friends.

How do these friendships, or how does having these friendships make you feel about Taylor

Swift?

I think it's nice to have that bonding point. And I think it's so special that she's the reason we

started talking in the first place. I think because we have bonded about other things, too, we

would sustain this relationship even if she stopped producing music. I just keep thinking about

“Make the friendship bracelets. Take the moment to taste it.” She's given us that. She's given us

these friendship bracelets in a way and it's magical to have that.

Do you think, having those friendships, motivates you to listen to her music, or go to events,

or by merch or just overall, keep being a fan of her?

I think definitely overall it keeps me a fan, but I also know that, my best friends would still keep

loving me if I suddenly, for some reason, just stopped loving Taylor swift. I think they keep me

motivated to like, listen to the music and to the songs that they consider their favorites, even if

they're not quite high on my favorites list.

Can you tell me about any in-person, fandom events you participate in, if any?

I did go to dance night at the bar once. I went with one of my real-life friends who went to the

eras tour with me, so that was fun to get Taylor's drinks and to get to dance in a space just to

Taylor. I can remember high school dances and always hoping that they would play something

from a Taylor album and usually they wouldn't, just because back then, like she didn't do much

pop, so it wasn't quite danceable. But now we have all that, and it was just a very happy

environment. You're all like being a little tipsy and screaming our heads off to cruel summer.

Transcript 5

WVU Student

Age 22

Morgantown, WV

Fan since Red

● Finds Taylor relatable because she is also interested in music

● Used to run a Taylor Swift fan account on Instagram

● Appreciated Taylor’s personal interactions with fans

● Uses emojis to convey tone online

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long have you been a fan of Taylor Swift?

I would say, like officially considering myself a Swiftie was when Red came out in 2012. But

I've known her music for longer than that. I tell the story that I got a CD in my Happy Meal at

McDonald’s, and it was a kid's bop CD, and it had “Teardrops on my Guitar” on it. And so that

was like my first introduction to her, and then, like I remember liking. You know, the singles off

of "Fearless," and "Speak Now" and then when "Red" was announced, I was like, “Alright, I'm

going to like this”. So, I would say 2012, officially.

What are some of the things you like about Taylor Swift?

Well, I've always been involved in music growing up, so she was always the person that I

idolized in music. Then, as I've gotten older, just her values, I've started to idolize as well, but it

started purely with the fact that she was a woman succeeding in music, and she wrote her own

songs and played guitar. Well, she sang and that was her kind of success story. That was, I mean,

I love it. It's a little romanticized a little bit, but I think I love that kind of coming-up story that

she had and her determination. So yeah.

Where are some places that you interact with Swifties online?

So, we had mentioned this kind of outside, but I had a fan account on Instagram I started. I was

just checking before this, I started around 2013 like, shortly after I made my regular Instagram

account, and did a lot on there for a couple of years. And then I just kind of fell out of it. But

even after that I still follow a lot of accounts online. Like Taylor Swift's accounts and kind of

follow their postings and things. It's a little less like my posting now. But I still follow a lot of

them.

So now that I have an idea about how you feel about Taylor we are going talk about some

of Taylor Swift's online behavior. Have you personally ever interacted with Taylor Swift

online?

No, unfortunately not.

Have you ever seen other fans interacting with her online? Whether it's her commenting on

a post or liking a post or things of that nature.

Yes, I have.

So, thinking about that experience, how did that make you feel about Taylor?

I honestly felt like it was personal enough that it could happen to anybody, and that, it could

happen to me. I found recently that I had DMed her a long time ago, and it was like I almost

professed my love to her like I was like, I love you. So that was kind of my attempt to be like,

“Oh, my gosh! Like she could totally notice me.” But it just made it feel a little less like she was

a massive pop star, and more just like she was like, “Hey, like, just, you know, a regular person.”

How did seeing those interactions make you feel about other Swifties?

Envious for sure. But also, super happy for them, because it seemed like after they got a couple

of notices and things, shortly after they were like, “Surprise. I was actually at a secret session or

you know, got to meet her, or something wild.” It was a little bit of envy, but also just like really

happy for them that they were able to do that.

Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in any of Taylor's social media posts?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think it was after the Folklore and Evermore surprise drops that I started

really paying attention because I remember in hindsight, looking back at the “A lot going on at

the moment” post that kind of sparked it. And so, I feel like from then on, it's been not crazy

looking at every cryptic detail, but like paying a little bit of attention to it for sure.

Can you tell me about any brands or celebrities that you've seen trying to replicate the way

Taylor interacts with your fans?

I guess one way I've seen it recently is that a lot of companies have been like replicating her

newest album, like The Torture Poets Department picture in their own way, and then posting

about it. I feel like that's probably the most recent example I can think of and then sometimes

you'll occasionally see like, if a meme of hers has become popular, then they will use it. Like I

know with a seemingly ranch meme got a little popular and I saw companies using that. But

yeah, I feel like The Torture Poets Department I saw a lot more than usual. So, like, I think the

cruise center did it. And just yeah, a lot of different companies I saw did it.

How does that make you feel about those brands?

I think I appreciate them trying to be fun and relevant and as long as it's done tastefully and with

good intent then I think it's fine. I think it's not very harmful.

Do you own any Taylor Swift merchandise?

Yes.

Can you tell me about it?

Yeah, I mean, I'm wearing one right now. This is my sweatshirt from the concert. I ran to them

because I just didn't have it in me to wait in line for hours. So, I ran to the merch truck at the end

of the night and got this. I have a lot, ever since Red came out like I said, they started selling

stuff at my local Walgreens, and that was kind of my first exposure to that was when I bought

my first CD. It was Red, and then they have, the blanket and the bracelets, that was my first

exposure to it. Then ever since it's just liked every Christmas, order a couple of things off her

website and now, it's every drop I'm like, “All right, here's my order you can take it”. Like just

this morning, I ordered the CD for The Tortured Post Department. It's fine but I just like it. I

think it's nice to have a physical representation of things, especially now, where everything is so

digital and streaming. I still buy every CD, even though the only CD player I have is in my car.

But I still buy every CD because I appreciate the physical aspect of it.

How does owning that stuff make you feel about Taylor Swift?

I like it. And I love the thoughts and intent that she puts behind it. I think I mean part of it is

like with the variance, like especially midnight, some things boosting sales, but I also think she

does a lot to make it fun and make it like a collectors thing and especially like, I said, with the

tortured Posts Department and those CDs look like they have little extra things with them. She's

always done the secret messages and the booklets, and I don't know, I just think there's a lot of

intent behind it.

When Taylor puts out new content, so music videos, and things of that nature do you go

and listen to it immediately?

Yes, immediately, as I can. Yeah.

Why is that?

I think it just makes me excited to have new content from her, and then also you know people

will pretty much immediately start talking about it on social media. So, I feel like I need to be

kind of in the loop, too. Before I see it from somebody else, I kind of want my own thoughts

before I read someone else's but, ultimately, it's just because I'm excited.

Have you ever seen Taylor Swift live?

Yes.

Can you tell me a little bit about that experience or experiences if you saw her more than

once?

Yeah, I saw her for the first time during the Reputation stadium tour in 2018 and I remember

trying to get tickets so many times before that and it just never happened. Even with reputation,

they had that verified fan kind of thing for the first time trying it out. I remember this because

you could boost your chances of getting tickets by buying merch or watching the music videos

and so that's what I did. I remember one day specifically just having the videos on loop on my

computer trying to boost my thing and I actually got in really soon. Then, a personal financial

thing happened, and we weren't able to get tickets, so it was my birthday that December in 2017.

that my friends surprised me with tickets for my birthday, so that was awesome. I was so excited,

and then the experience itself was amazing. Then, of course, the Eras tour this summer. I saw her

in Pittsburgh for Reputation. I saw her in Cleveland but for the Eras tour. It was just as exciting. I

saw it with my mom both times. But I think there was just so much camaraderie with the

friendship bracelets this time around. I feel like I interacted with a lot more people for the Eras

tour rather than Reputation. With reputation I kind of just went in and went to my seat and had a

good time by myself, but I feel like I interacted with other Swifties a lot more during Eras. And

then, you know, like I said, friendship bracelets had a lot to do with that but even just like talking

with people, or saying, I like their outfit and stuff.

So, I know you mentioned Rep tickets were a gift. Do you know about how much was spent

on those, and how much you spent going to the Eras tour?

So, I can tell you the Eras tour, for sure. I tried to get tickets and lost the “Great War”, as they

say, originally with Eras. Then Ticketmaster actually reached out to me and was like, “Hey we

saw that you're a verified fan, and you didn't get tickets. Do you still want some?”. So, they let

me choose. They knew I originally wanted 2 tickets so they were like, just choose a price range

and we will give you tickets. I didn't even get to choose my specific seats necessarily just like the

area. We were balling on a budget, unfortunately. but it was between the $200 and $500 range,

and they ended up being like $250 each, I think. But then they were front row, lower bowl so that

was a miracle. But that was about how much for those and for reputation I'm not sure, but I do

know it was pretty much the last row of the upper bowl, so I'm not sure about the price range of

those but that was about the area.

How did those experiences make you feel about Taylor Swift?

I think it's just strengthened my love for her. I don't know, there's just something about live

music in general that's really awesome. I remember during Reputation, there's a video of me as

she's opening up, and I'm just like screaming, you know, uncontrollably and sobbing, of course. I

don't know, I knew I would be excited, but I don't know if I would have had that. I don't think I

was expecting that reaction out of myself like literally sobbing uncontrollably so it kind of

surprised me looking back on it. I was like, “Why do I react that way?” But I think I was

genuinely just so excited to see her, and I don't know it makes you feel closer to them because

they're right in front of you, and you're breathing the same air.

How did seeing her live make you feel about potentially seeing her again?

That I definitely wanted to at any opportunity that I could. I didn't know after Reputation when

that would be, but I was hoping Loverfest when that still was the possibility before Covid. Then,

when the Era's tour came out, it was like everything, like not all of her music, but all of the eras

that made me so excited because I hadn't seen her in the previous eras that I wanted to see.

So now that I know a little bit more about your relationship with Taylor Swift, I want to

talk about your behavior in the online Swiftie fandom so how do you feel about interacting

with people in online spaces?

I really don't interact with many people unless they are my friends, or I know them.

You know, like watching TikTok and seeing strangers TikTok, I'll like them and save them. But

I rarely comment, I really try to keep most of that to myself, unless it's something positive. I just

don't see the point of leaving a negative comment. Other than that, I'm kind of a silent follower,

just liking and saving things.

How would you say communicating online compares to in-person interactions?

I think there's something I don't want to say, like a fakeness to both, but kind of a theatrical

aspect of both. I feel like you can have a little bit more genuine reactions and interactions with

people in person but then also sometimes people say things online that they would never say in

person. Like I've gotten some really nice messages from people I don't know that I would have

never expected them to say in person. So, I think it kind of goes both ways that people do things

in person that they maybe wouldn't do online but they would also say things online that they

wouldn't do in person. I don't know, it's kind of weird. It goes both ways, I think.

When you're communicating online, what are some things that you do over text to indicate

how you're feeling?

I use a lot of emojis because I think it helps things not be interpreted the wrong way. Like, if I'm

trying to say something that could come off mean or short, I'll usually put a fun emoji to let them

know like, “Hey, I'm you know, being funny. I'm being silly”. Then I think it's definitely like this

generation, like a Gen. Z generation thing but I know, my mom will use a lot of periods at the

end of her sentences in text, and for some reason that can come off to us very short like, “Oh, so

you're mad at me”. So, I usually don't unless it's a paragraph about something.

How much time would you say you spend online in Swiftie spaces per week?

If we're being collective, maybe a couple of hours a week from being on my phone for a little

while every day.

Can you tell me about an interaction you've had with another Swiftie online?

Yes, when I was running that fan account. I know there was one Swift account in particular that I

kind of became friends with, so we would talk a lot and talk about any releases. Then I know

when I was running a fan account, I was big on making picture edits, so we collaborated and

made some edits together or just did different things. That was cool to have someone to kind of

in that space with, because no one I really knew around me in real life liked her, or liked her

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enough to do something like that, so it was nice to have somebody to actually do things on the

account with.

How long would you say those interactions lasted? Or how long were you messaging back

and forth with them?

I ran that account actively for probably about 2 years. Within that time there was maybe I'd say,

like a year of that time we were kind of interacting, maybe not daily, but on a weekly basis, just

about different things.

What made you want to connect with them?

Like I mentioned, not really having anyone in person to talk about those things with. Just maybe

wanting to have someone to talk about them with and they were really nice. You know,

obviously, we had a common interest in mind so yeah, I think that was the main part of it.

How would you say those interactions with other Swifties made you feel about the fandom

as a whole?

I think it made me feel really positive and like I had a community, even though it was online. I

think it wasn't until later on that I got exposed to a little bit more, and that kind of the duality of

different Swifties that had still considered themselves fans but had different views on things. I

think within the last couple of years they've become a little bit more divided but at the time, it

kind of felt like everybody felt the same way about things. Everybody liked the same things

about her. It was definitely like a big community then.

Are there any inside jokes or code words or references that you think only online Swifties

would understand?

Yeah, I feel like if you weren't on social media or just not even on social media much there

would be a lot. I mean, I mentioned, the seemingly ranch meme earlier, that was definitely

completely online and then a lot of Taylor's posts and things have made inside jokes kind of like

the “A lot going on at the moment”, yeah, those are kind of the ones I can think of.

How, if at all, does being a part of those jokes make you feel about the fandom?

Definitely makes me feel more connected to it and like I said more that I am in a community.

Because then, if I ever met someone or it has happened where I've met someone in person and

then we were able to bond over something that we both saw online. So, it definitely makes me

feel more connected to it.

So, when talking to other Swifties online, whether presently or in the past, did you strictly

talk about Taylor? Or did other topics come up?

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Mostly about Taylor. The one friend that I had, we got a little bit into like live things, but it was

mostly just about the account. And like I said, we would make those edits so working out the

details of that, but yeah, mostly Taylor.

How did having those online Swiftie friends make you feel about Taylor Swift?

It made me feel good. It made me happy that I was a part of that, and that something like liking a

musical artist could gain you friends was just a cool experience, and definitely made me like her

more.

Does having those friends motivate you to stay engaged in the fandom, whether that's

listening to your music, going to events or buying things from her?

Yeah, for sure, because it kind of just solidifies my feelings towards her and the community.

Seeing a post from somebody, and you know, like they're doing something fun or they made a

cool project of Taylor, like it makes me want to stay engaged because I enjoy it.

Can you tell me about any in-person fandom activities you participate in?

Yeah, there's not any that I really do on a consistent basis, but I have been to the Taylor Swift

nights that have been going around the country, but they did one locally in Morgantown and that

was really fun. Then my friends have had some listening parties like we did a listening party for

Midnights, and I think for Red Taylor's version. So, it's been more personal ones that I've done

but I did go to the dealer stuff night one too.

How would you say the in-person interactions at fandom events differ from online

interactions?

So, depending on, I know for the one locally, the Taylor Swift night, it was cool to see other

people like specifically in my area that really liked her. There were people close to me, and then

with the ones online, obviously, you can see people from anywhere. I don't know, they were both

fun, and I think they were just fun in different ways, like when you're collectively with people,

physically, even not speaking to them, I still feel like you connect with them. When online you're

not really connecting if you're just liking their picture. So, I think there's just like an in-person

connection like I said, even when you're not talking to them that you get in person.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I guess that I just really appreciate what Taylor has done to help the community feel connected to

her. I just think she does a really good job at I don't know keeping fans updated, but also having

fun with it because it's become a lot less I don't want to say a lot less personal, but it kind of has

within the last several years, just because of her fame growing. I remember, during the Red era,

where she would just post a little bit more personal things, or when she was still active on

Tumblr, it was a little bit more personal. But I still think she tries to have a lot of fun with it. So,

I just appreciate what she does.

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Transcript 6

Found via TikTok

Page 30

Fan since 1989/ In the fandom community since folklore/evermore

West Coast

● There were some audio/connection issues in this interview

● Considers herself a latecomer, blames internalized misogyny

● Likes the emotional vulnerability in Taylor’s music

● Enjoys “clowning”

● Has a Taylor Swift Tattoo

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long have you been a fan of Taylor Swift?

I was sort of a latecomer to being a fan of Taylor Swift, relative to a lot of people. I mostly

started becoming a fan of Taylor Swift, around 1989, and was a more casual fan, and then

started getting really into it, for during the pandemic around the time of folklore coming out, I

was getting involved in being a fan of Taylor Swift, and also getting more involved with the

community of Taylor Swift.

What are some of the things that you like about Taylor Swift?

I like how emotionally vulnerable she is in her music. I think the reason I was sort of a late

comer to her music was internalized misogyny that I had surrounding myself and my interest,

and finally, being able to get involved in her music, and really, have a new sound appreciation

with it, I think kind of a really helped me help that in myself. Her emotional vulnerability, how

well she builds community both directly and indirectly. She does a really good job at creating a

community of fans. Also, people who enjoy her music take it upon themselves to create a really

great community. And I really appreciate kind of having that community of people to be

involved with.

What are some places that you interact with other Swifties online?

I'd say the biggest ones are Twitter/Reddit and I now have a Discord server with some friends.

So, have you personally ever interacted with Taylor Swift online?

No.

Have you ever seen any other Taylor Swift fans interacting with her online?

Yeah, I think mostly on TikTok sometimes on Twitter.

And can you tell me a little bit about some of those interactions that you've seen?

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A lot of them have been mostly folks who have posted videos and then have gotten Taylor Swift

liking or commenting on their videos.

How did seeing that make you feel about Taylor Swift?

Seeing that someone sent her those videos, or maybe she's just seeing them herself. I thought it

was nice that she is sort of more interacting with her fan base, especially seeing her still trying to

connect with the community. It’s a good way to stay involved with the community that she's

created.

Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in any of Taylor's social media posts?

Yeah, definitely.

Tell me a little bit about that experience.

In my discord server, every time something comes out, we're talking about it. For example, on

the day of the Grammys, once she changed her profile picture, we were in full detective mode,

basically trying to look at all that kind of stuff. I think this is a pretty common term for it in this

community, but whenever stuff happens or, she posts cryptic things, or things with secondary

meaning, or even things that we think are secondary meanings we call it clowning/going into

clown mode, and we'll just post “we're putting on our clown makeup.”

Can you tell me about any other brands or celebrities that you've seen trying to replicate

the way Taylor interacts with her fans?

I think one recently that I think ended up not necessarily being that. But people were speculating

if it was them trying to sort of replicate the way that Taylor Swift interacts with the community is

when Paramore deleted all of their posts and changed their profile. People associated that with

times that Taylor Swift has done that, and we're speculating about what happened.

Do you own any Taylor Swift merchandise?

I have a couple of T-shirts. I have a poster that I got from the eras tour. I have confetti that I got

from the eras tour. A bunch of bracelets from trading with fans, and I know that's not strictly

Taylor Swift merchandise, but I think it's sort of adjacent. I have most of her CD's some of them

are signed and some of them aren't signed. I have most of her albums on Vinyl, not all of the

variants. I think the only albums that I'm missing at least one copy of are debut and reputation,

but otherwise, I have a copy of all of her records on vinyl. I have some of the Capital One merch

that's been given away, the red era tote bag or the red Taylor's version tote bag, the red Taylor's

version puzzle that came with that, the mugs that came with that.

What motivated they did you to buy all that stuff?

I collect vinyl. I don't necessarily need to have all of the variants, but I want to have at least one

record, and I usually get my favorites of the variants. I'll get CDs, I mean, I think it's always nice

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to have CDs in my car if I can't connect to the Internet. I have a Lover shirt which I bought

because they had, released a bunch of specific album merchandise, and I wanted a T-shirt for

lover, which is my favorite era and then I got the Capital One Midnights thing which came with

a T-shirt and a CD. It was $13 for a T-shirt and a CD. That's a very good deal to get a T-shirt and

a CD.

How does owning that merchandise make you feel about Taylor Swift?

I have the red Cardigan and the 1989 cardigan. I like those because I like that they’re kind of

bringing it into the different eras and giving more people opportunities to get those Cardigans.

Having that merchandise is nice, because sometimes people will come up to you and start a

conversation and be able to meet new people. I mean, I'm a little annoyed lately at the amount of

variance of vinyls that she's been releasing, just because the way that she's releasing them. I feel

goads people into spending more money which I don't necessarily love. But I don't think that's

necessarily Taylor that personally makes those decisions. And I understand that those are

business decisions that need to be made, but I think that's my one sort of hang-up lately is just

the amount and way that they're releasing the variance of the Vinyl, just making it where you

could only get it within this 48 hour period, which is a little stressful for me.

When Taylor puts out new content do you listen to it immediately?

I think it depends on when it's released when an album is released. I try to listen to it at least

once through that night, when it, you know, hit, Spotify, or whatever at 9 Pm. Since I'm on the

West Coast. So, it's a little bit more reasonable for me to Listen to it when it gets released. I think

videos. It kind of just depends on where I am when it's released. If I'm able to, open up YouTube,

or you know, TikTok or Instagram, or whatever but otherwise I'll just kind of watch it when I'm

able to get to it.

Have you ever seen Taylor Swift live?

Yes, I saw her 2 times at the Era Store, which is my first time seeing her. I saw her in Denver. I

actually I won the capital one contest to be able to get tickets and got floor seats, which was

incredible. And then the next week I saw her and Seattle, which was the in July which was the

eras tour that I had fought in the great Ticketmaster battle to get the tickets for.

How much money did you spend?

So, for Denver obviously it was free. And then for Seattle, I think it was $150ish for each ticket,

and I had 2 tickets.

How did seeing Taylor Swift live, make you feel about her?

I was just in awe of her as a performer and the dancing that she does, the singing. You can

clearly tell when her mic is on versus when the backup vocals kind of helping. It’s insane to do

that for over 3 hours. She's also just a really good showman. Seeing her kind of back to back

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weekends, it was really funny just seeing the similarities and the differences, but especially the

similarities. Then, watching the Eras Tour movie it's nice that there's that there are so many

similarities. I don't think it feels disingenuous or anything. It just I feel like watching the movie,

then makes you feel that you were there again, which I think is really cool. I just had a wonderful

time and seeing her perform. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I guess you can do it more than

time. It's just such an amazing experience. I felt really awesome being at both of the shows. I

tweeted the night before if Haim comes up on the stage and they play no body, no crime I'm

getting a Taylor Swift tattoo and then she did, and so now I have a Taylor Swift tattoo. and then

also my partner had been going to.

Can you tell me about this tattoo you have?

It's a little cowgirl for cowboy me and some hearts and butterflies for debut, but kind of general

butterfly usage that she does, and then it's got reds and pinks and blues just kind of to evoke the

various sort of eras.

How do you feel about interacting with people in those online spaces?

I think generally positive. I think it's a really good community. My biggest sort of qualm that I

would say is, I wish that people were a little less talkative about her personal life. But I mean,

that's just kind of my personal thing. I don't like speculating about people's/celebrities, personal

lives. Otherwise I think it's a really good experience. And I've made a lot of friends through it.

How would you say communicating in those online spaces compares to communicating

with Swifties in person?

In person, I feel like I'm more having these experiences in one one-on-one or small group

settings. Whereas, even the discord server that I'm in is probably a dozen people. Interacting with

people on TikTok/Twitter/reddit it's a much larger cross-section of the community, which I think

has its positives and negatives, of course. I think overall people get very excited.

What are some things you do over text to indicate how you're feeling when you're

communicating online?

I'm a millennial, so I guess emojis aren't cool, or whatever anymore. But trying to use emojis to

express sort of emotions, or abbreviations of lol can kind of diffuse a situation or not diffuse the

situation but can make it clear that you're joking. It’s easier on Reddit to express yourself

because you don’t have a character limit. But on Twitter or TikTok you're limited so much, and

how much you can put into a text box, you know, on a comment. On TikTok I am more liking

posts and expressing things simply rather than trying to get into more nuanced discussions.

But yeah, using emojis or tone indicators.

How much time do you spend online per week?

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A couple of hours a week depends. If she announced her new album it definitely increases,

because, every post on my feed, was about the new album.

Tell me about an interaction you've had with another Swiftie online.

There’s an old post from the eras tour of the first leg of it, and it was the video of Taylor Swift,

making some kind of mistake, and I made a comment about it being the errors tour.

How do the interactions you have with other Swifties online make you feel about the

fandom?

I think the ones that make me feel most positive are recently with everything that happened in

Kansas City and one of the Go Fund Mes Taylor donated $100,000 to the family which was

really sweet, and seeing all the comments around that made me feel really thankful to be a part of

this community. But then other people speculating on Taylor, Swift's sexuality on Twitter and

stuff, does make me feel a little sad with the community. People often say, if you weren't a fan of

Taylor Swift, when, debut or Fearless, came out then you are a bad person, and you should not

be watching the eras tour movie or going to shows and stuff. And that definitely makes me feel

pretty disenfranchised by the community. And obviously those are kind of minority opinions. I

think overwhelmingly I feel really happy to be a part of the community. But yeah, I mean, those

kinds of things definitely make me feel a little sad or set apart from the community.

Are there any inside jokes or code words or references that you think only online Swifties

would understand?

I think there's Easter eggs that I think only online Swifties would know. When you know, her,

Instagram grid lines up, I don't necessarily think that not online would care.

How does being a part of these jokes make you feel about the fandom?

I think it's fun. I think, most of the jokes that I see are really fun ones. I don't think anyone is

posting these to make fun of Taylor or anything. It's just silly. I think it's a good way to connect

people as a community, having inside jokes. And so, I think knowing those and understanding

those makes you feel like you're a part of the community

When talking to other Swifties online. What do you talk about?

We talk a lot about our thoughts of the upcoming album, and when a track list gets dropped.

Like, “Oh, I connect to this song title, without knowing necessarily what the song is about,” but

discussing what we think the vibe of this song is going to be. Sometimes in our discord server,

especially, people will bring up people who are saying negative things, and we're talking about,

“oh, you know, that's bad. That's you know. That's unfortunate that people are talking about this

in that way.” Sometimes just sharing cool outfits, talking about Taylor's outfits at the Grammys,

and talking about how cool the outfits are. Whenever she's on tour we'll talk about watching any

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live streams, they'll post with what the surprise songs were, and which specific costume she's

wearing that night… That kind of thing.

Does having these connections with online Swifties motivate you to stay engaged as a fan of

Taylor Swift?

Yeah, I definitely think so. I feel with anything that I'm a fan of, I think, getting involved in a

community of people who are also interested in that thing is really helpful for me. I'm in school

full time, and so I might not necessarily see every post or whatever but having other people to

send it directly to me helps me to keep involved and, know what's going on. Being able to talk

about these things with people is really nice and being able to see other people's opinions on

them and compare and contrast. I think just having a community of people who also care about

that thing is really helpful and, really nice to share connections with other people about it, and

then also talk about the other things we talk about that aren't necessarily related to Taylor Swift.

Do you participate in any in-person fandom activities?

Not really.

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Transcript 7

Reputation Clown

Found via TikTok

Fan since 2010 (Speak Now)

● Loves Taylor’s music and songwriting

● Thinks Taylor is genuine

● Very into “clowning”

● Is happy when Taylor interacts with her fans

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long you have been a fan of Taylor Swift.

I've been a fan of Taylor Swift, probably, since if I had to estimate it, probably like 2009, but I'd

say 2010 is probably when I really started considering myself as Swiftie. I definitely started like

interacting with other Swifties online in 2012/2011.

What are some things that you like about Taylor Swift?

I love Taylor’s music. First of all, I think most say that they do and her lyricism, and how

relatable she is. But I'm also a big fan of her character in general. And the way that she carries

herself whether she's going through something really positive in life or when she's going through

something really hard like when #taylorswiftisoverparty was trending. I just think she carried

herself really gracefully during all those times. And so, I've always been a big fan of that and

then I've also been a big fan of the fact that she writes her own music, and she plays instruments.

She actually inspired me to write songs and to learn to play the guitar and piano.

Where are some places you interact with Swifties online?

I first started interacting with other Swifties on Tumblr back in the day, and then I would say,

Facebook has been like a pretty consistent place. Twitter for a little while. And now I mostly

interact with other Swifties on TikTok.

Have you personally ever interacted with Taylor online?

Oh, I wish. No, not personally.

Have you ever seen her interacting with others Swifties online?

Yes, many times nice.

And can you tell me a little bit about that?

Yeah, so I feel like, whenever she interacts with someone online, especially nowadays, people

get really excited about it. So, I've seen definitely things like that. Most recently, there was a

mom who made a very vulnerable TikTok about connecting with her daughter this year. That

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Taylor commented on in a really really sweet, sweet way. I also have a friend at the college I

went to, but it was well known that she was a big Swiftie, and one time she was on an Instagram

live, and the only person watching it was Taylor Swift, and she was commenting back to her. So

that was a really cool time.

How does seeing those interactions make you feel about Taylor Swift?

It makes me feel like she really is who she claims to be. She's very down to earth. And the fans

really, really do mean the world to her, like she says they do.

How does seeing some of those interactions make you feel about other Swifties?

Makes me so happy for them. And it makes me feel like we're all just very connected. And we all

really do have just this central piece of us that we can all connect to in our love for Taylor. And

people love Taylor for so many different reasons. But at the end of the day, that's our girl, and

we've all got her back. And whenever I see people interact with her, it makes me really, really

happy for them.

Have you ever looked for a hidden meaning in Taylor's social media posts?

Yeah.

Can you tell me about that experience?

I'm a big reputation clown, and I hope you can quote that. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Just

today I was looking into different Taylor Swift theories…There's 2 Friday, the thirteenths in

2024, and she's going to release reputation Taylor's Version on September thirteenth, and then

debut Taylor's version on December thirteenth, because that's her birthday…But pretty much

anytime she posts anything, I will dig into it.

Leading up to the Grammys did you feel like an announcement was coming?

Yes, I did really think we were getting reputation Taylor's version, and I was watching the

Grammys with my husband, and she obviously, won her thirteenth Grammy, which as we all

know, was a huge deal, and I literally dropped to the floor when she said brand new album.

Well, really, when she said, 2 years, actually, I dropped to the floor and I was like, so we're not

getting reputation. Even my husband's kind of into it at this point, maybe because he just wants

me to stop talking about it.

Can you tell me about any other brands or celebrities you've seen trying to replicate the

way Taylor Swift interacts with her fans?

I don't know about necessarily replicate, but definitely brands and celebrities that I've seen like

interacting more with their fans on social media. I mean, I think all influencers kind of have to do

it in order to build their brand. This is so weird that pops into mind right now, Duolingo. An

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influencer went to a wedding recently, which felt a little bit like when Taylor used to like to go to

fans houses. So, I guess that would kind of be the closest.

How does that make you feel about that brand?

If I'm looking at brands that have been using Taylor's fan base, then I would say definitely the

new marvel movie that's coming out the new Deadpool movie with the friendship bracelets post

they recently made. And then also the movie Argyle. I think a lot of people, including myself,

like I said, I'm a big clown had the theory that Taylor was going to be involved in that. Honestly,

I love to see it, especially with Deadpool, I think, since she obviously is so close to Ryan and

Blake. I think people are really recognizing the power of the Swiftie fandom, and they're

utilizing it. I think sometimes groups like NFL this year trying to utilize the Swiftie fandom, and

even that I didn't mind, except for when it became clear that it was annoying Taylor at which

point it did bother me. She's built this fandom for you and this audience for you. And just

because she's now part of that audience like, let's not take advantage of it. So, I think it really

depends the extent to which they're taking it.

Do you own any Taylor swift merchandise?

Yes, I do. I have actually, right behind me. I have an autographed original 1989 CD, and then I

also have an autographed folklore CD. I have NFL Taylor's version sweatshirt. I have a lot.

What motivated you to buy it?

Some of it was gifts. So, my 2 signed CDs were gifts which was really really nice. I also have a

good amount of reputation merch and then some of that I bought at the tour when I was lucky

enough to go. Same with my red merch and then some of it was on sale later.

When Taylor puts out new content do you listen to it immediately and if so, why?

I want to be like one of the first people to hear it, so that I can hear it without all the noise of all

the theories of what goes into it, but also so that I can come up with my own. Experiencing it on

my own is a big part of it. I'm just so excited to hear.

What about other content like music videos? Are you also motivated to watch that as soon

as it drops?

Yeah. But with new songs like, I will stay up until midnight. If I think, there's a possibility she

might drop a new song or a new Taylor's version of something with a music video. Unless I

know for sure she's going to, I won't stay up till midnight, but I'll watch it in the morning.

Have you ever stayed up till midnight without like a confirmed release? You just think she

might?

Yeah, a lot of times for reputation. There was like a week straight that I was staying up and I feel

like for some reason I feel like I maybe even stayed up later. I was like, “Maybe she'll drop it at

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West Coast midnight,” and I'm on the East Coast, and so I would stay up till midnight thinking

she's going to drop it, and then she wouldn't, and then I'd still stay up till like 3 am and then she

still didn't drop it.

What were some of the things that made you feel like new music was coming?

There was definitely the coffee cup from when Taylor Nation posted the coffee cup from the

"Anti-Hero," music video with the blue nail and black nail, and the black nail was at like the 2

o'clock. So, it's like, “Oh, it's getting released in February.” There was definitely that, and then

there were some other Taylor Nation posts that just felt like they were hinting. And then, also

there was all of her inner circle changing their profile photos to black and white. But I was like

she's doing something. And she was. It just wasn't reputation.

Can you tell me about those experiences seeing Taylor live?

Oh, best days, my life! So! I've seen her live 3 times. I saw her for the Red Tour, 1989 and

reputation, and then I couldn't get tickets to the ears tour. So that was too bad. But all 3 times I

saw her at Gillette Stadium. So, the first time that I saw her was the red tour, and she wasn't

known for bringing out special guests all the time on the red tour, she was 19. I got Super lucky,

and she brought out Carly Simon, and they sang “you're so vain,” …It was incredible. We had

really really good seats it was. I had never been in a venue that big. It was just absolutely

incredible. And then 1989 was even better. We were in nosebleed, but she brought out MKTO

and the sang classic, and we just had so much fun. And then for reputation we had, the best seats

out of any time that I went, which was really cool. And my friend from Spain was in town, so we

got to go see it together, and we just had the best time. It was such an incredible show, and just

so different from the other shows she had done. But for all of them, I feel like she does such an

incredible job connecting with her audience, even though she was in a huge venue. 10 out of 10,

for all of them, can't believe I didn't get to go to eras, but there is still hope.

Do you know about how much money you spent on each of those concerts?

Red I was so lucky I got to go for free. My friend paid for the tickets, and her dad drove us and

paid for everything. So that was incredible. 1989 we didn't spend a crazy amount. It was

probably in total less than $200. And reputation I paid for me and my friend's ticket, and I think

it was still less than $3 or $400.

How did seeing Taylor live make you feel about her?

It just cemented everything in my head. You could tell she was just so there, so genuine and so

freaking, talented. I remember, one of the surprise ones that we got for reputation was 15 was

like, I actually wrote my college essay about it…and it just made me feel even more connected to

her every time I got to see her live.

How does seeing her live, make you feel about seeing her again?

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Just makes me want to see her again even more. And part of me feels like, Oh, because I put in

the time, and like I've been a fan for so long, I should get to see her again for the Era store, but I

also feel like, I have friends that this is their first time ever see her live. So, I'm like, oh, they

should get to experience it, cause there's nothing like a Taylor's concert

How do you feel about interacting with people in those online spaces?

I feel pretty good about it, especially Tumblr. I would interact with other people a lot. And like,

really comfortably and then same with TikTok. I interact with other people pretty comfortably.

How does communicating with people online compares to in person?

I would way rather communicate with people in person. I think online, sometimes it can be easier

to start the conversation, but it can also be way easier to be misunderstood. And I think in the

Taylor fandom specifically she's made it so easy for us to start conversations either in person or

online, that it doesn't really matter as much in terms of starting the conversation, so I'd rather be

in person.

Why do you think Taylor has made it easier to start conversations?

I think she just made it really clear like she wants this to be so inclusive. We used to not only

connect with her, but to connect with each other. Like the friendship bracelets, obviously, that's a

huge thing that it's so easy to give someone a friendship bracelet. And so many people, get so so

excited about it. I think that has been revolutionary in terms of communicating with other fans to

be honest. I feel like just Taylor herself wanting us to communicate with each other has made a

big difference.

Are there any interactions or anything you do when communicating online that you think

could only happen online?

Connecting with certain fans that I've connected with. I mean, I had a good friend that I talked to

for quite a while, who was a fellow Swiftie who lived in Hawaii half the time, and then in China

the other half the time. I don't think I ever would have met her in person, but other than that I

don't think so. I think we do get a lot more voices, though, online, because I think there are more

people that are willing to interact online, that in person might be quieter in person. I'm thinking

specifically of concerts because I think that's where we're most likely to very openly interact.

Obviously, that means that we all have enough money to attend to attend the concert. Which is

not the reality for a lot of Swifties, and so a lot of Swifties can only get that big group interaction

online.

What are some things you do to indicate how you're feeling when communicating online?

I'll include a lot of emojis and exclamation points as well as certain phrases like Omg or things

like that.

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What motivates you to connect with other people online?

I think I just appreciate their points of view so much that I want to contribute my own thoughts.

When I have original thoughts, especially, when we're talking about like Taylor or things like

that. But also, whenever I see, a new Swiftie online that's asking for song recommendations or

things like that always want to jump in.

How much time do you spend online in Swiftie spaces per week?

Probably like 8 to 10 h.

Does this change when Taylor releases new content?

Oh, yeah, yeah, big time. It goes way up. If Taylor's up to something, I will usually make the

time.

Can you tell me about an experience or an interaction you've had with another Swiftie

online?

There is this well-known TikTok who posted about “But, Daddy, I love him” the new track on

Torture Post Department and I commented on the video and said something like “Her voice

Thank God, she remembered a diamond got to shine.” It got like 1,300 likes, which was quite

a lot for me. Really blows up my notifications, and then, quite a few comments.

How do the interactions you have with other Swifties online make you feel about the

fandom?

They make me feel really good. For the most part I only see people being really positive to each

other. I don't know if that's because of like the people that post the video are deleting mean

comments, or what. For the most part, only see really positive things. I will say that has come a

long way, because I feel like back in like the Tumblr era, like 2012 like release of red. There

were a lot more people that would be a little more like gatekeeping. I've been seeing so many

posts of moms bringing their daughters for the first time, and just like all these incredible

memories that we're all getting to share together. And like all just because of Taylor. It’s just

women really uplifting each other in these online spaces.

Are there any inside, jokes or code words or references that you think only online Swifties

would understand?

Yes.

How does being a part of those jokes, or being aware of those references, make you feel

about the fandom?

It makes me feel good about it, because I don't think we would ever judge someone for not

knowing those references or being a part of those jokes, and we would explain it to them, and

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then they would have a whole other, area of Taylor Swift and their own journey as a fans to

explore.

When talking to other Swifties online what do you talk about?

It really has varied through the years like back in like 2012 when she was releasing "Red," we

were talking about snow patrol…So sometimes it's the artist Taylor's introducing us to. Lately

for me it's been more of like, what is she up to? What is she doing? And like trying to figure out

all these Easter eggs that probably aren't even there.

Do you strictly talk about Taylor Swift, or do other topics come up?

It depends like I have Swiftie friends who I've met online, who will talk about Taylor, and then

talk about other things. Or if I'm on like tick Tock, for example, like we'll only talk about Taylor

because it'll be on a Taylor specific video. Though I will sometimes tie in like Taylor, related

things like if something was said about her on like Travis and Jason's podcast new heights. Then

I'll tie that in. So, its kind of depends.

Can you tell me about any connections you've made with other Swifties online that you

would now consider friends?

One friend from 2,012 who I've referenced a few times. I was still in middle school at the time.

So, like looking back, my parents probably should have been more aware of what I was doing on

the Internet. But it was fine. But it was so cool I got her name was Jesse, and I actually lost

contact with her. Which unfortunate, but I got to learn more about her culture and Hawaii and

her culture when she was living in China, and then all the ways that she was relating to Taylor,

and then we would check in with each other pretty much daily, and talk about life, and she was a

bit older than me, so she would like give me advice and things like that and it was all because of

Taylor Swift.

How does having online Swiftie friends make you feel about Taylor?

It just makes me so thankful that we all have something like that. Just this one person who was

able to bring all of us together from such different backgrounds, and who maybe never would

have talked to each other. And now we all immediately have something in common. I'm still

finishing up my undergrad right now, and I'm taking this communications class, where we have,

like an online discussion post, we have to do every week. Which everybody knows how much

fun those are. But there's this one girl and I had posted in my first week that I was Swiftie, and

then I started like looking for her posts, and eventually I like followed her on Instagram, and now

we're actually friends. I've never thought of a discussion board post as a way to like make

friends, but Taylor made it happen.

Does, having online Swiftie friends motivate you to stay engaged in the fandom?

I think so. I think I'd be motivated to stay engaged, regardless, though.

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Can you tell me about any shifts you've seen in Taylor's social media presence over the

years?

Yeah. So I feel like, when I first got involved in the online portion of the fandom she was very

present, like you never knew if Taylor was going to like your post, or re-blog your post on

Tumblr and sometimes she would randomly show up at fans houses for Swiftmas, which was

super cool she had, found out about it on the Internet. And then we definitely saw a dip during

reputation like leading up to reputation. She kind of went away a little bit and that was really sad.

But then recently, I feel like she's gotten back to almost the same level of interaction that she was

having with fans before. I've seen in Australia she gave the 22 hat to a fan who posted videos

that she thought were really funny on TikTok. I've seen her commenting on fans videos on tick

tock she even posted a TikTok at the club. It wasn't like it was posted by her team. So, I think

we're definitely getting back up to where she was with the social media interactions.

How does that make you feel about Taylor when she is more active and interactive with

bands as opposed to when she was sort of taking a step back?

It makes me really happy to see her more interactive. I feel like, even during the times where she

wasn't necessarily. And I don't know this for a fact. I'm just this is in my head. Even when she

wasn't necessarily interacting with fans as much. I bet she was still looking at posts, probably not

as much, because she had gone through some like Internet bullying trauma with the

#taylorswiftisoverparty and all that stuff. So, it makes me really happy to see her coming back to

her level of interaction via social media, because I feel like it's always been a part of who she is.

As an artist. She's always said the fans are her reason for doing this. And I think her social media

interactions really just like showcase that, and so I'm really happy to see that she feels safe

enough online again that show be willing to interact like that.

Can you tell me about any in person fandom activities you participate in?

Yeah. So, I have been to her shows a few times, and then I also, this past winter, went to a Taylor

swift dance party which was so cool. And everyone was just like giving out friendship bracelets.

And we're just dancing with Taylor all night. So that was really fun. And, to be honest, pretty

much anything I go to, I make it a Taylor swift event. So, like the Super Bowl like through like

super bowl party. And it was a Taylor Super bowl party and things like that.

How would you say your interactions at these in person events differ from your online

interactions?

I think in person people are a little more hesitant to engage in interactions at these events, unless

it's a concert, in which case I think people are a little bit more open, cause we're all so excited to

be there. But, like in the movies, people are still a little bit hesitant like, why is this girl trying to

talk to me like, why should be a bracelet? And then, same with that, like the Taylor said dance

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party. It was a little bit like why or like, you know. But then, once they realize that we're just

being friendly. Then they were more open to it.

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Transcript 8

TV Reporter

Found via TikTok

Fan since Debut

● Appreciates that Taylor interacts with her fans

● Noted negativity online

● Uses tone indicators

● Finds Taylor relatable

● Analyzes secret messages

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long have you been a fan of Taylor Swift?

So, I've been a fan since I was very young. I got her debut album physical copy gifted to me by

my dad. He was like, “This is Taylor Swift, I think you would like her music,” and I would

religiously listen to her music. I would get every physical CD I could. I know for sure Fearless

and Speak now had physical CDs. I had a CD player. I would sit at the CD player and listen to

every single song. I had the lyric book. I would analyze the secret messages hidden in it, and I

would just like to sing and dance around, and I would even make dances with my friends. I'd

have my friends over, and we'd choreograph little dances to her music. I was even a fan through

all the crazy Kanye West drama. I stuck by her side through everything. And she's like my

number one through and through. I just love her.

What are some things that you like about Taylor Swift?

I really like her music, of course, that's standard, but of course, I love her as a person. I think she

has a really kind heart. Something I read in her Time magazine Person of the Year article is that

her music represents a woman's perspective when it comes to relationships and love. And I so

agree with that. I find her music very therapeutic. She's able to relate to people in a way that she

doesn't know your situation. Obviously, she has millions and millions of fans, but for some

reason, she strikes a chord because she has lived similar experiences to you. So, I know for sure

there are a handful of songs that are therapeutic to me because I'm able to really connect with

them.

Where are some places that you interact with Swifties online?

I'm on Twitter with my job, I'm on TV news, so I have to have a separate account for that stuff.

Which is funny, cause sometimes her stuff gets onto my Twitter page, my main. I read a lot of

things from people. I don't really tweet back and forth with people. I just kind of read things and

take things that way. I love commenting on people's TikTok. I like watching TikToks on

SwiftTok. I also have made friends through Taylor Swift. Long story short, I did the Disney

College program, and I was connecting with people that way. And there's one girl I really

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connected with because of Taylor Swift. We were like best friends, and we still are. And we text

any time something huge happens with Taylor Swift. She lives across the country,

Have you personally ever interacted with Taylor online?

Not like other than just liking things and commenting on things here and there. I haven't had any

response from her. But I, of course, have interacted with her. I like every single thing that comes

out. I have post notifications on. I'm ready to go.

Have you ever seen Taylor interact with other Swifties online?

I go through her likes on TikTok all the time, just to see what she's been watching. I think that's

so neat.

How does seeing Taylor interact with your fans online make you feel about her?

I think that's sweet of her. I know there are other celebrities out there that have way more

interaction with her fans, but her magnitude is just insane. It's really impossible for her to

connect with fans in ways that other celebrities do. But I think that it's sweet that she and her

team take the time to connect with Swifties in ways that are doable, even in person at the

concerts, like giving the 22 hat like. There are still ways that, even though she's so massive, she's

able to connect with people. Even if it's just leaving a comment on somebody's TikTok. I think

that's very sweet.

How does seeing her interact with fans make you feel about that other Swifties?

I’m like “She's lucky,” because she is like a needle in a haystack. I also realize that Taylor and

her team, whoever is running her account, also take into account the content of what's in the

video because I know a lot of Swifties will dig at her exes or makeup fan theories. She's not

going to interact with those ones, for sure, but I'm sure she's seen them. But she will interact with

the fans who are really passionate or have something really cute or something funny.

Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in Taylor's social media posts?

Sometimes. Yeah. I know when there's like fan theories about the next album. Sometimes you

have to go back and kind of look for the hidden messages like the 3 s's like, “Why is there 3 s's?”

so I think it's tough to predict what she's going to do because I think that she takes into account

the fan theories and makes her decisions based on the fan theories so the fans could be right, like

about how everybody thought she was going to release reputation Taylor's version when she

went up at the Grammys and did her speech. Everybody thought it was going to be “reputation.”

There were people wearing the merch, and they were all excited and ready, but then it was totally

out of left field. I think she pays attention to what fans are thinking online, so that she's able to

make kind of an informed decision about what's next for her career.

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Can you tell me about any brands or celebrities you've seen trying to replicate the way

Taylor interacts with your fans?

That's tough. I know I've seen people I know, like certain award shows or airlines like “we saved

a seat for Taylor and Travis here on this flight,” or I know the Empire State Building tries to

connect on TikTok with Taylor in certain ways. Brands want to mimic what she does for fans,

because it brings hype.

How does it make you feel about that particular brand?

I would say it depends on the brand. So, if it's a brand that I connect with, and/or it's a brand that

is related to Taylor in some way. Then I'm going to be like, that's so cool. I know my college I

went to did like a tortured poets cover. I thought that was really neat. But if it's a brand that

doesn't really fit, I know what they're trying to go for. They're trying to get hype based off of

Taylor when they have really nothing to do with that demographic or that fan base.

Can you tell me about any Taylor swift merchandise you own?

I’m wearing one right now. I was gifted the folklore card again. I try to get CDs as much as I

can. In my living room we have framed pictures of Taylor from the 1989 CDs…I got the time

magazine that's sitting on my desk at work. I also have a bunch of lyrics that are like little artsy

little pictures, and I put them all in a little design on my desk. I think I think that's the big ones. I

don't go as hard as the last Swifties. But I still love to support her as much as I can.

What motivates you to buy Taylor Swift Merch?

If it's really cute, or it adds something to my life like the framed pictures in my living room. That

motivates me. That made me want to buy the CD because it had different pictures of her or

different things. I could hang up like any CD, so that made me want to buy the CD, or if the CD.

has an extra song, I know with midnights for a while there you couldn't get the song hits different

unless you bought the CD. So, I bought the CD because it has the song on it. I didn't want to do

anything illegally because I want to support her as much as I can like the folklore cardigan I got

because it was super cute. I know it was still gifted, but it was something I really wanted. I also

have the all too well, I wear it all the time, because you can't even tell. It's a Taylor Swift Merch.

So, I think that that really adds to it, too. I'm supporting her while also staying true to my style. I

think that's really cool.

When Taylor puts out new music or music videos or things like that do you go and listen to

it immediately?

When I can, for sure. I know it was tough when she dropped the 3 AM edition of midnight's

because I was asleep, so I know I had set an alarm to try to wake up. I was like half asleep

listening to it, and that was tough. So, when I can for sure like the other night, I watched the

Grammys because I knew something was going to happen. I try to be up to date as I can be.

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Why is that that you want to consume things as soon as she puts it out?

Cause I know my friends know, I'm the Taylor Swift girl. So, I'm going to get texts. And I want

to find out from her. My friends are going to text me about what she did. So, I want to see it from

her first instead of from my friends. I'd rather just see it from the source.

Have you ever seen Taylor Swift live?

Yeah. I saw her at the Eras Tour. I lived in Pittsburgh last year, so I saw her there.

Can you tell me a little bit about that experience?

That was one of my favorite nights, for sure. My sister and I got all dressed up because we've

been fans our whole lives. So, we were just waiting for the moment. My sister got to see her at

the 1989 tour in Pittsburgh and I remember being so jealous, but like that was like her thing. She

was kind of more into Taylor at the time. I was kind of going through my angsty phase, but I still

liked her anyway. So, it was nice to see her like for my first time and we got there like Super

early, and we had floor seats we were like further back on the floor. But I was still super excited,

and we got there early so we could like, get drinks and like hang out. And we went to like a

boutique that had some Taylor Swift theme stuff that was really neat, and I got a little pin that

had Jake Gyllenhaal’s face, but they put an X over it so you can barely tell. So, I wore that

around, and fans were like “You go! Yes!” So, it is really cool connecting with fans that way,

and then the concert itself is so much fun and seeing her when she would come down to the end

of the catwalk and being able to see her like a closer. And then she brought out Aaron Dessner or

my night that was like crazy. Everybody was screaming. And I look back at my videos, and it

was just such a good memory. I remember, I was like filming myself, my sister. One of our

songs that we really bond over is the story of us…and story of us was our surprise song. So, we

were really, really connected over that. So, we teared up, and it was a sweet, sweet moment, and

we had a really fun time.

Do you know how much money you spent on those tickets?

So, I bought them the day they went on sale. I skipped class, and I set up my computer for like 4

hour I got them at regular price. And I was so lucky. I think they were $650 because I was

looking, trying to compare if I should get Floor or Lower Bowl, and they were about the same

price. So, it's like the back of the floor, won't be maybe the best. I just to say I've been on the

floor, for Taylor Swift is kind of a flex, so I went ahead and did it.

How did seeing her live, make you feel about seeing her again.

I definitely want to see her again, for sure. She puts on an incredible show. My boyfriend

actually was working at the merchandise stand for both shows, and he got to watch the show on

night two because he sold out of merch, and he even said she puts on a phenomenal show like he

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wasn't even a full on Swifties until then, that was what sold it for him. So, I definitely want to see

her again because she gave her whole heart into it. I don't know how she does it.

How do you feel about interacting with people in those online spaces?

Not going to lie, they kind of terrify me because, you have so many different kinds of people, so

different kind of Swifties online. And on top of that I feel like on my Twitter I get a lot of

Beyoncé fans, and they are so like combative, because they are also very passionate about their

idol. So, I feel like I don't really interact or speak a lot on Twitter because of that and at the same

time, I still have a lot of fun looking at people's funny takes on things and like funny pictures and

also like seeing her and Travis together. I was on Twitter that whole night of the super bowl and

seeing her and Travis together that was that was neat.

How would you say communicating online compares to in-person interactions?

Online, I feel like you can hide behind the screen and kind of get away with saying things that

you wouldn't normally say in person. Like how Taylor Beyoncé fans interact. They get like

claws out. They defend their other person so much, and they even got to the point where I feel

like Taylor's team and Beyoncé’s team saw that back and forth, and they even went to each

other's movie’s premieres to kind of show like, “Hey they're friends.” But I still kind of see some

back and forth online. So I think that in person interaction it's a little more friendly just in my

experience, like with Swifties', whereas, like online, you can hide behind the screen, say,

whatever you want and feel like you're not going to get any sort of retaliation.

So, when communicating with people online over text, how do you indicate how you're

feeling?

Sometimes I use tone indicators. Not a lot of people are super aware of them, but you put like the

slash a code of what your tone of voices. So, I would try to use that more, because people can

take what you're saying out of context unless you put /gen if you want to be genuine. So, I've

been trying to use that more. Otherwise I use emojis.

How much time do you spend online in Swifties spaces per week?

I think it would average out to about an hour today. So, like 7 hours.

Does the amount of time spent in these spaces change when Taylor releases new content?

Yes, because my for you, page on TikTok and my, Twitter home page it's just is all Swiftie stuff.

So of course, that adds more time in the Swifties space than it typically would be.

Can you tell me about an interaction you've had with another Swifties online?

I was saying before my friend that I met because We had the same dates for the college program.

But then we ended up just becoming friends because of Taylor Swift. She sends me Taylor Swift

TikToks all the time, and anytime something big happens to Taylor we text each other.

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How long would you say you interacted before you considered her a friend?

Not very long. We were like talking on Instagram. And she was like, “Hey, like, I'm doing

college program. We have the same days.” And we just kind of go back and forth, maybe a

handful of messages. And then she was like, “I really love Taylor stuff.” I'm like “no way me,

too,” and that's what it was just like back forth, back forth, like we were pretty much on the same

level of Swifties. So, you're like this is, this is, going to be great, really good and then, when I

met her in person a couple of months later, we like listen to Taylor Swift, like the whole drive

like, and it was something that really solidified our friendship. For sure.

How do the interactions you have with other Swifties online make you feel about the

fandom?

It really depends. So, I know there's a lot of Swifties that are really sweet and are genuinely

passionate and excited about Taylor. There are other Swifties I see online that they only like half

her songs. It's like, “Here's my skip list of all the songs I hate of Taylor Swift,” and it's like half a

discography I'm like, are you even a fan? And then I also see people…critiquing Taylor's

relationship, and how Travis is bad for her.

Are there any inside jokes or code words or references that you think only online Swifties

would understand?

For sure. There are definitely little things the average person I don't think will know what a

Gaylor is, that Swifties think Taylor Swift, is queer in some way. I feel like the average person is

not going to know that like. My boyfriend wouldn't know that. So, I feel like that's one big

example, and plus like the whole, just like conspiracy theory side of it, too. I don't know how

many people outside of the Taylor Swift’s, online realm, dig into the idea that Taylor could be

queer. That's like crazy. So, I think that's the biggest one I can think of right now.

Are there any online inside jokes that you're a part of, or things that when you see it you

like, understand the joke that you think maybe people who are offline wouldn't

understand?

I know there's one from the reputation series of videos that Taylor made for some brand deal

where she had to write a bunch of songs like when went through her process of writing for

reputation, and the clip of her and Jack Antanoff off writing Getaway Car. There was a guy at the

Eras Tour the other night that was wearing the shirt that Jack wore in that video. So, I recognize

that, and that was really neat. He even posted it on his TikTok, and was like only Swifties, would

know this one and then, and just in general to people who dress up as Jack and Taylor like for

their whole dynamic. I feel like, outside of the online space, not a lot people realize just how

close they are.

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And how does being in on these jokes, how does understanding this part of the fandom

make you feel about the fandom?

I think it's really cool that we're able to connect in that way. I know a lot of people think this is a

cult. I think it's a more of a community, more than it is a cult. We were able to like, connect over

things that other people can't. I was in a sorority in college, and there's things about the sorority

that are kind of similar to a Taylor swift fandom experience how there's just certain things that

only you will get in that kind of realm. So, I think it makes me feel really like included. And like,

it's super fun.

When talking to others with these online, what do you talk about?

Whatever is relevant and happening in Taylor's life at the current moment. So, I feel like I see a

lot of people talking about her and Travis together. I know I'm excited about them being

together. They're super cute together. I think they complement each other really well. So, I see a

dialogue about that online. And of course, the new album coming out…So I see a lot of

discussion about that, too.

When talking to others with these online, do you strictly talk about Taylor, or do other

topics come up?

It depends on the person, for sure, like depending on what kind of level we're at. So, like. If I'm

not super close with that person like if I see them on TikTok like once, I'll be like, just leave a

comment about Taylor, whereas if it's like a person I've seen a million times and I've interacted

with a million times before then I’m like, “Oh hey,” like. So, it really depends.

Can you tell me about connections you've made online with other Swifties that you would

now consider friends?

My friend Abby from Tennessee and I'm originally from Pennsylvania, and so we connected

across the country entirely, and we even lived in Florida for a little bit so like that was really neat

how we were able to connect. I'm still even friends with her to this day. And it's been like, 2

years. I even got to go on a trip with her. We went to Nashville and we went to the country

Music Hall of Fame, and we got to look at all of her outfits. They had the NYU graduation robe,

and they had the koi fish guitar. So seeing a lot of her like eras outfits together, like we were able

kind of bond over that we had every intention to go to Centennial Park, but it was raining that

weekend, so we couldn't go to the Park, but we tried to do as many Taylor things as we could

that weekend so that was really neat how somebody I had no idea who they were, prior, but we

were able to really connect over Taylor. That was super neat. I have friends from college that I

wasn't super close with, but then, seeing them post about Taylor online, like, “Oh, my, gosh,” o

yeah, it's been fun that way, too

Having these like online, Swifties friends how does that make you feel about Taylor swift.

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I think that shows her power of connecting people. I think that's amazing how she knows nothing

specific about us and about our individual lives, but she's able to find ways to make us bond over

a shared interest, and I think that's really unique.

Does having these friends motivate you to stay engaged in the fandom?

I would say, yeah, because then it's that hype, whatever she does, something big, or even if she

just posts something nowadays when she just posts something that's a big deal. It used to not be

that big of a deal, because I feel like in the past she used to be really active on social media,

share a lot of details about her life, but I feel like, after the reputation era she has gone about her

social media presence differently. So, I feel like it is a really big deal when she put something out

there from her account, and not like Taylor Nation. My friends will like to go crazy over that,

and I know I will, too. So, we're able to kind of bond over that shared experience.

Recently she put out a TikTok from a Super bowl party super bowl celebration in Las

Vegas with her parents. Is that one that feels a little more personal?

Yes, because I feel like a lot of her posts have been all about like promoting her music, and like

sometimes giving hints about things and posting about tour, but she never shows that personal

side of her life post reputation. That's very rare. So, it makes me feel nostalgic about the old days

like 2015, and she would just be like, look at my cat, you know, so like I even miss seeing her

cats.

How do you feel about that, that shift in her social media presence?

I feel like part of that was called for. I feel like she at that point in her life. She needed a fresh

start because of all of the negative attention she was getting. All the pressure was on her at that

point in her life. That was fine and especially with her boyfriend at the time. I think Joe Alwyn is

very introverted compared to now Travis Kelce. I feel like back 2016/17 into 2020, early 2020s.

She kind of leaned into Joe's like “let's stay inside thing” especially with Covid. So, I feel like at

that time that was right for her, and I get it. But I did miss that side of her, the fun loving. So, I

do miss that side of her a lot, but I feel like that was called for. Now that I'm starting to see her

kind of shift back to that, I feel like that makes me feel a little more. I don't want to say included,

because I know she likes to keep things private, but it's cool to look, get an inside look

sometimes.

Can you tell me about any in person fandom activities you participate in?

Sometimes I go to like the Taylor Swift dance nights. I know there was. One night I went to. It

was a speak now release party. I tried my boyfriend with me. We like pregamed in the parking

lot, and then we went, and we were dancing, and then midnight happened. She dropped Speak

Now Taylor's version and we sat there and listened to the whole album before we got to the

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surprise songs. But my boyfriend never listened to speak now in its entirety, he heard last kiss.

for the first time he was crying. He's like “that is the saddest song I've heard in my entire life.”

My local cat cafe at the time had a Taylor Swift flight of different coffees, so they had, like the

Benjamin Button. I think it was the weekend she was in town. So that was super neat. And

getting to connect with Swifties in person is super fun, too.

Can you tell me about those in person interactions you've had and how they differ from

your online interactions?

Yes. So, I know, we talked about this a little bit before, but the in-person interactions I feel like a

lot are a lot more friendly, because you're able to like to connect that way. When bad blood

comes on, and you have the chant…everybody screams, and it like looks at each other. And

we’re just like, yes, you know, we're able to connect that way. Whereas, like online it's a little bit

harder to do that. But at the same time, you're able to connect with people across state lines or

across country lines. You're able to meet people that way that you wouldn't be able to meet in

person.

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Transcript 9

Supportive Swiftie

In DC

Found via TikTok

Started dating a girl she met on Stan Twitter

Fan since Red

● Bought an extra ticket to the Era’s tour and flew to Florida a day early to support Taylor

Swift after her public breakup

● Does not want to bother in-person friends

● Sees negativity online and tries to avoid it

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long have you been a fan of Taylor Swift?

I've been a fan of Taylor Swift since I was like 12, I think, since around Red Era. That was the

first ever concert I went to be her Red tour.

What are some things that you like about Taylor Swift?

Well, I mean, I love the music in general, just like how she has a song for every single situation.

How she's kind of just like a role model in general, how she's a very like unproblematic, like,

very like, morally, I would say, good person, and how I can feel like I can look up to her as kind

of big sister type person.

What are some places that you interact with these online?

Primarily Twitter. But I also have had Tumblr and Instagram in the past. And also, I do follow a

lot of the friends I've made on Twitter on Instagram and we have each other's numbers and stuff.

So yeah, I've interacted them there online and sometimes meet up in person as well.

Have you personally ever interacted with Taylor Swift online?

No.

Have you ever seen Taylor interacting with other fans online? Can you tell me a little bit

about that experience?

Back when I was on Tumblr, I had a lot of friends who got likes every so often. She was just

interacting with their posts all the time. One of my really good friends, actually, Taylor joined

her live stream during reputation era and talked to her for like 5/10 min. So that's always really

cool to see and mostly there's a lot of like older interactions and stuff. But like nowadays, like,

I've had a few friends where, she's liked their posts and stuff.

How does seeing those interactions make you feel about Taylor Swift?

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Well, especially like the older ones I mean, once you join my friends, Instagram, live like talking

to her, and asking her questions about her life, and like congratulating her on her grades and stuff

like that it definitely makes you feel a lot more personable. I feel like she, genuinely takes time

out of her day to interact with their fans, and like sort of have that. It's like “Hey, thank you for

being a fan of mine.” It’s like because we give so much to her, she also gives that little bit back

as well. Even if it's just a like or a comment or something on a post.

How does seeing Taylor interact with other fans make you feel about those other Swifties?

It makes me feel like really excited for them because I know everyone is kind of going for the

same thing. Everyone wants this. Taylor notices. Everyone wants to know that they're favorite

artists appreciate them. Even though I haven't gotten any notices just knowing that my best

friend got a notice…we all kind of know that feeling of like wanting to get a notice like feeling

happy for someone else when they get it.

Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in any of Taylor's social media posts?

Vaguely, I'm not really one of the big like Easter egg hunters. I kind of just let people do that.

But you know occasionally, if she uses a lot of emojis in a row for whatever reason or certain

emojis, like kind of like obvious stuff like that. But usually I try not to dig too deep into every

single thing she does, because to me that kind of starts crossing a boundary. She doesn't plan out

every single thing she ever says.

Can you tell me about any other brands or celebrities that you've seen trying to replicate

the way Taylor talks to her fans?

I don’t know about replicate because that seems kind of hard. I know there's a few smaller artists

that some of my friends listen to, and they're in a group chat with her, and like they talk to each

other pretty frequently. But that's definitely a different level then Taylor Swift. I'm also a big part

of the Haim fan community. So, like I mean, I am followed by Este and I've gotten a few replies

from her and stuff. Taylor doesn't really come online frequently anymore. There's also just that

same fan interaction. With what Taylor did, like secret sessions, and meet and greets and stuff

like that I think it’s really hard to replicate at the scale that she's at. You don't really see any other

big artists doing free meet and greets for a bunch of random fans.

Do you own any Taylor Swift merchandise?

I have a decent variety of things. I have a lot of shirts and sweatshirts and stuff, the poster behind

me. And my friend got me that invisible string one and I've got signed CDs. I have all her vinyls

as well. So, I have a pretty wide variety of stuff. I don't know if there's one piece that's my

favorite piece of merch. I kind of just like being surrounded by it.

What motivated you to buy it?

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Recently, I haven't loved a lot of the designs, so normally, when I see a design, I really like I

always consider like I'm considering buying it. I've gotten a lot of stuff with gifts because people

know I love Taylor Swift. So, they're like, “Oh, okay, I'll get her a t-shirt. I'll get her a tote bag.”

So that's how I accumulated a lot of it. And of course, I like signed CDs if they're available, I'm

always going to get one whenever she releases. I don't collect all the variants of the vinyl’s, but I

always try to get at least one of the Vinyls, and at least one of the CDs as well. With the physical

music I try to get one of each, but with other things, like shirts or posters whatever really calls to

me, or whenever I really like the design or something, or if there's a sale.

How does owning that merch make you feel about Taylor Swift?

I mean it makes me not necessarily more connected, but I enjoy showing it off, since I do feel

like Taylor Swift's a big part of my personality. It is basically like showing off those bits and

pieces. With the clothes on her merch site that I like, it shows a bit of my personality as well,

since, like, I don't get everything from the site, I just get the pieces I really like. So, it's a mix of

this is how I like to express myself in terms of Taylor switch merch.

When Taylor puts out new content. So, whether that's music or music videos or social

media posts, do you go and listen to it or watch it immediately.

Yeah because I want to be able to talk about it with people and be able to be connected with it.

All my friends are all watching it right when it comes out as well so it connects all of us, when

we all get to talk about it together, and we all get to analyze it, and we all get to react to each bits

and pieces of it at the same time.

Have you ever seen Taylor Swift live? Can you tell me about it?

So, I saw her Red Tour, Reputation tour, and I saw her 4 times on the eras tour. I went to 2

shows in Tampa, one show in Philly, and then I went to closing night in LA.

Originally, I had night 2 tickets in Tampa. But then I had to switch to night 3 because my friend

couldn't make it to night 2, but I was still flying in the day. Then night what happened, and I

heard the breakup news and I'm like, “Oh, I want to be there at this show. I want to be there to

support her.” So, I was able to find a ticket like the day of and I got on the flight, landed at like

7:15, and I was in the stadium by 7:58, and she went on 8 pm. So, it was definitely a crazy

experience, but she did play treacherous, which is one of my favorite songs of all time. So that

was great.

Do you remember about how much you spent for Red?

My dad actually got free tickets, but they were like back the nose bleeds.

Do you know about how much you spent for reputation?

I think reputation was a graduation gift, but we had floor seats. They were about $150, I think.

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For the Era's tour do you know about how much you spent

I spent $250 on one of the tickets, but then the other ones. I didn't spend more than $150 on. So,

I'd say in total, probably like no more than $700.

What motivated you to go to those specific dates? Or were they just the ones that were

available to you

The Philly show was on a Saturday, and I was going with a bunch of my friends in DC. So, it

was the most convenient for all of us. Tampa night 3, I went with a friend from Colorado. And

then Tampa night one, I went because I wanted to be there like for show post-breakup to support

her, and then LA we had tickets to the original closing night, but then, when she added, more

dates my friend was able to trade like 10 times to get us to this other closing night, because she

was actually studying abroad in Norway, and like flew from Norway. I had another friend fly

from Florida, and then I came from DC. So, we all wanted to like to be at the last show.

How did seeing Taylor Swift live, make you feel about her.

I cried a lot. I'm grateful for the experience that I get to like to have with my friends. Of course, I

love her. I love the music. It's like. She's amazing, but I feel like I get more out of the

experiences when I go with my friends at least cause like Tampa night one. I just sat next to a

random girl, and now we're really good friends, because we are able to experience that together,

even though we're in the last row corner of the obstructed view nosebleeds. It makes me feel

grateful for her, and very happy, excited, no negative emotions going on.

How do you feel about interacting with people in online spaces?

In person, I'm a very shy/reserved person, but online I love being able to interact with a bunch of

people. I do have my close circle of friends, but if I see a random person on the timeline saying

something that I want to comment on I don't hesitate to reply to it, or anything like that. I feel

like I'm free to do that without judgment, because we're all here for the same thing, and we all

pretty much do that.

What are some things you do over text to indicate how you're feeling when you

communicate with people online?

Definitely all caps, exclamation points, button mashes, emojis the whole, the whole 9 yards,

mostly caps lock, though.

What message are you trying to get across there?

Pretty much like kind of like talking loudly, very excited, like, “Oh, my gosh! What's happening?

What just happened, or like no way like I can't believe she did this” If I was in person with

someone, we would be yelling about it

What motivates you to connect with other people online?

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Because I don't like, in person, have friends who are fans of Taylor Swift, so I don't have many

friends who are like as big a fans as I am, so it's able to give me a space where, like I don't have

to annoy my 2 guy roommates talking about Taylor Swift when she does something. I can just go

online and talk to a bunch of people my age who share my interests. They'll like that excitedness.

I will tell my roommates, of course, but they're just going to be like, “Oh, that's cool” but, if I go

online, say the same things it will be like, “Oh, my gosh! I know. Did you see that? Or like

what's happening?” So, it's always fun to get that response back.

When talking to people online does the potential of interacting with them again impact,

how you interact with them?

Not really. Usually when I interact with someone the very first time I won't be as in your face

about it. I probably will pull back on how I interact with my really good friends. So instead of all

caps and screaming, I'll just be like any other capitalization. But lots of exclamation points. If

they keep popping up, then I kind of phase into that like, more excited or if I start recognizing

them, then I'll start being a little bit more comfortable with how I interact.

How much time do you spend online in Swiftie spaces per week?

A lot. I can’t of my phone at work, so I don't really spend much time during the day, but it's

probably like I check it a little bit in the morning, and then in the afternoon, I'll probably say an

hour or 2 every afternoon talking to my friends on there. If Taylor does something, then

definitely a lot more active.

Can you tell me about an interaction you've had with another Swiftie online?

I was thinking one the other day, so one of my good friends who I actually met planning for

Midnights, I wanted to go to release weekend up in New York and I had a friend who was going.

But I wasn't going to be able to stay with her. So, I post online, “Hey, is anyone going to New

York? And then I got added to a group chat, a bunch of people who are going, and then I

eventually like became really good friends with 2 of the girls there. So, we ended up like talking

a lot. One of them was coming from Argentina There was another one who was coming from

Florida. And we really clicked and really connected, and so when we got there, we’re rooming

together, we hung out on the weekend. I still talk to her like multiple times a week.

You mentioned in your initial email to me that you had just started dating a girl you met

on Stan Twitter. Would you be comfortable sharing a little bit more about that?

So, I originally joined Twitter because of Taylor Swift, but eventually joined the Haim fandom.

And that's where I found her, and she was a fan of Haim, but also a fan of Taylor swift. So, we

got along in both of those things, and were in a big group chat of Haim and Taylor swift fans.

So, we've known each other for a few years. So, we just became really good friends in that group

chat. We ended up forming another smaller group chat, which is like5 or 6 of us and we've kind

of just been like really good friends ever since, and we eventually just started dating.

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How do the interactions you have with other Swifties online make you feel about the

fandom?

I haven't really had many bad interactions with people. I see sort of a negative side of it. I follow

people who are like positive towards the community and stuff. So, it makes me feel good about

it. I sound questionable, it does it does make me feel happy to be a part of this community. Of

course, there are going to be people who are negative, or people who are like, not even negative

about Taylor Swift, but just like not really good people in the state of the world and stuff like

that.

There's always the people who I'm friends with who are like, “oh, this isn't a good thing that's

happening. We don't like that. Those people aren't representative of what we, as Swifties, want

the community to be represented as.”

Are there any inside jokes, code words, or references that you think only online Swifties

would understand?

Yeah, Twitter slang and stuff that people eventually are sort of understanding. Have you ever

seen the iceberg meme? There are some Taylor swift versions of those. And I understand all the

levels of it. But I'm sure a lot of people don't understand the super deep lore that happened on

Tumblr. That kind of made its way over the years to twitter.

How does being a part of these jokes, or being in on these jokes, make you feel about the

fandom

I enjoy kind of being a part of this community, and being able to understand those feel like I'm a

part of something when it comes to that and it's something that is a separate group from my in

person friends, because I could have the inside jokes with them and stuff like that, but then I also

get this whole other kind of like group of friends I have, and we have inside jokes. So, it's not

just like kind of surface level interactions with a lot of people think it is. But we have inside

jokes. We know personal things about each other. We are all interested in the same thing. So, we

have these instant, deep relationships over that.

When talking to other Swifties online what are some of the things that you talk about?

Whenever Taylor put something out, obviously talking about that but just our day-to-day lives.

It's definitely more shifted from just talking about Taylor Swift, too. I feel like, I can talk about

what happened during my day or this food I had, so a lot of the interactions I have on a day-to-

day basis are just like kind of just about general life. Occasionally a post about Taylor Swift

comes up, but it's not even necessarily focused on that anymore. That's kind of how we initiated

this relationship, but as it’s progressed, I don't have to talk about Taylor Swift. I just know

Taylor Swift is the common thing. It's how we're all friends, but because we're friends, we don't

have to talk about this one topic. We can talk about anything you want.

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How does having these friends make you want to stay engaged in the fandom?

If I didn't have this community that I knew I could go and talk to, then, of course I'd still be

excited about it myself, but it wouldn't have as much excitement. Half of the excitement is being

able to talk about it with someone, so being able to have that community that I know if I say

something about what I'm excited about they'll respond to me is always like a good feeling.

That's always a reason to kind of stay engaged and stay kind of up to date on what's happening.

Can you tell me about any in person phantom activities you participate in?

I went to New York for midnight's release weekend and that was really fun, because I met a

whole bunch of people I knew online and we like had brunch at one of the girls apartments,

which like wasn't even Taylor-theme we were all there for, because we were there for Midnights

with that weekend. I went to the all too well bookstore, karaoke, aa Taylor swift dance party

night. Then in general meeting up with Swiftie friends to go to a concert. That's not Taylor Swift,

but that's another artist.

When you go to these events, especially ones that you are like traveling to and meeting up

with people, is there any fear or anxiety there that comes with meeting strangers from the

Internet?

Definitely midnight's release weekend. I think I cancelled and rebooked my flight at least 3

times. I was super anxious about it first. But once I got there, I met like one of the girls and one

of first things I did was meet up with a friend Times Square and saw the midnight's billboard.

Then I walked over and met them, met other friends for dinner, and that's how I met up with

them for the time. So, it was like the anxiety went away once I was there. And I was comfortable

with these people because I've been talking to them for a while online. Its definitely anxiety

inducing at first, and then once I get to know them and everything it just goes away. And we all

have fun talking about Taylor Swift.

How do you in person interactions at these fan meetups differ from that of online?

I think in person meetups I'm just like a little bit more reserved at first, but then I come out of my

shell a lot quicker than I would in interactions with people outside of the fandom, because I was

talking to them online already. I interact a certain way online, so they kind of know what my

personality is. But if I'm meeting up with Swifties I don't know as well who I don't interact with

a lot online then I'm still a little bit more reserved. Depending upon how well I know them online

determines how outgoing I am or how long it takes me to become outgoing in person.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Being online has just been like, I have no idea what my life would be like today if I didn't have

these. And I know a lot of people who aren't online like don't really understand that when I try to

explain it, they're like, “How can they be such good friends? You've never met them, or you only

talk to them online.” But I don't know, it's just given me this outlet where I can like feel like I'm

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not annoying anyone with how much I like Taylor Swift. I've been online since 2016, so for the

past 8 years, it's given me this kind of safe haven. Whenever in in-person life something's going

rough I can go there and have that little safe haven of a community who's always there for me,

who I can talk to about anything. I can tell about what's happening in my real life, or I can just

ignore my real-life problems and talk about Taylor Swift. So, it's just like just having that

community has just been like life changing for me. It's the whole reason that I'm the person who

I am today is because I've had this community for the past 8 years.

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Transcript 10

Found via TikTok

Fan since Debut

21 Years old

From Colorado

● Partakes in clowning

● Notes Swift’s positivity

● Thinks Swift is an amazing songwriter

_____________________________________________________________________________

How long you've been a fan of Taylor Swift?

I have been a Swiftie since her first album came out when I was 3, so that was like my very first,

not my very first album that was my own, but like it was given to me by my mom, and then her,

and I both kind of like bonded over that.

Nice. What are some things that you like about Taylor Swift?

I think that she is an amazing songwriter and how she can kind of change genres pretty easily.

And it's still being like a perfect album and I feel like she in the past couple of years has

been a lot more vocal about her, like political beliefs which not a ton of celebrities do that, and

because she has such good influence, or like strong influence on people like it, does kind of

evoke change, I think, is really a really special thing.

Nice, where are some places that you interact with Swifties online?

So, I have Instagram, and then I have a Snapchat. Group chat. And then like TikTok. Obviously.

Nice. Is that how you heard about this?

Yes, I saw your TikTok.

Have you personally ever interacted with Taylor online?

No, sadly, no.

Have you ever seen Taylor interact with other fans online?

Yes.

Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Like I've seen? Are you talking about like, she commented on one of my posts, or stuff like that?

Yeah, sure. Okay, I've just seen people that show, some people's comments on really popular

videos or like every single time there's a show they'll post, Taylor Nation will post like the

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people that were there, their different outfits and stuff that they have on. So, I feel like I've seen

quite a bit of her interacting with fans on social media.

Nice. And when you see her interacting with fans, whether it's commenting or liking, how

does that make you feel about her?

I mean, it makes me feel good. It makes me feel like she cares about her fans, and like when she

sees something that she likes or thinks it's funny she'll give them recognition for that.

And seeing those interactions, how does that make you feel about other Swifties?

I mean, I see that and I'm like, oh I'm so jealous of them, but also like that's so cool I'm jealous of

you, but I'm happy for you.

So, you mentioned that you have been a Swiftie like since the beginning. Can you tell me

about any shifts you've seen in Taylor's social media presence over time?

Yeah, I feel like obviously, recently, it's been a lot more like she's been a lot more in the media

and stuff like that. But I've also seen, like I was around for her Reputation era, when, like

everyone kind of hated her or whatever, and so she was a lot less interactive. It had a lot less of a

following because she was just kind of like in hiding, no one really knew anything about her. So,

she was a lot less in the media.

Have you ever looked for hidden meaning in Taylor's social media posts?

Yeah.

Can you tell me about that?

Well, I mean when “Reputation” dropped, its kind of one of the most like iconic things that she's

done with her social media, and like deleted everything I was like freaking out. And then I can't

even tell you how many fan theories I'm always keeping track of, all these people that are

making TikTok about things in her Instagram posts that could be kind of cryptic as to when

reputation is going to be released again. And so, it's mostly been that as of late.

Did you watch the Grammys?

Absolutely!

Were you anticipating some kind of drop at the Grammys?

Yes, yeah, I was more than positive that it was going to be “Reputation”. But yeah, I wasn't

expecting a brand-new album, that's for sure.

So, you mentioned you thought that she might drop or announce “Reputation” at the

Grammys. What were some of the things that you saw that led you to that conclusion?

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So, there was like, I forget exactly the numbers and stuff, but I saw a couple of theories that you

know how she loves numbers and things, adding up to like 13 or whatever like and also what she

was wearing. It wasn't like fully giving me “Reputation” era, but it was still like black and white

and a lot of her friends had changed their profile pictures to black and white including, Travis

Kelsey and stuff like that. So, I'm like something is going to happen. And I thought there was

“Reputation” because I could not have fathomed a new album so soon.

Can you tell me about any brands or celebrities you've seen trying to replicate the way

Taylor interacts with her fans?

Not really. Honestly, I feel like she has a pretty unique way of connecting with her fans with like

all the secret messages. And then also, she's on tour right now, obviously, and giving someone a

22 hat every night, and I feel like she has a very unique way of like interacting with fans.

Yeah, have you seen any brands that are referencing Taylor Swift?

Oh, yeah, the friendship bracelets are a big thing.

When you see brands referencing Taylor Swift, so maybe they've made a post that includes

friendship bracelets, or they recreated an album cover, how does that make you feel about

the brand?

I mean I'm kind of like indifferent about it. I feel like people know that how major she is right

now. So, they're just kind of like posting those to get more publicity, which, like is fine, it’s just

like how things work. But yeah, I feel kind of indifferent about it.

Do you own any Taylor Swift merchandise?

Oh, yeah.

Tell me about it.

Yeah. So, I have a wall with all of her albums, the ones that I have so far. And I have a couple of

signed CDs up there and then I have like 10 more of like the different editions of the albums. I

have her calendar for poster from the bunch of proposers from the tour. and like vinyls and stuff,

too, and the Taylor Smith like popcorn, bucket and cup

W made you want to buy that?

A lot of them were gifts. But the ones that I bought myself, it's just like because I bought all of

her Taylor's version myself, except for the one that got signed. But I don't know. It's just like fun.

It's like a little excursion that you get to go on like, Oh, I'm Gonne go by one of the other post

albums like that's cool.

When Taylor puts out new content, so new music, do you make it a point to listen to it

immediately?

Yes, I'll have like listening parties.

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And why is that?

Cause I feel like whatever she does or like with her new music and stuff like that, it's new, we

haven't heard it before, and it's exciting to kind of all get together, because also all of her songs

have like cryptic meanings, and so I'll have a party with my other Swifties, and we'll like kind of

try and crack the code a little bit on each song.

What about with music videos? Do you try to watch those immediately?

Yeah, I usually because everything comes out for us 10 0'clock. So, like for listening parties and

stuff, I don't have to stay up all the way until midnight, and I pretty much can tell when they're

all going to come out.

Have you ever seen Taylor Swift live?

Yes.

Cool. Can you tell me about that experience?

So, I've seen her four times. My first concert ever was “1989” back when it was in like an arena

and not like a stadium, and then I saw “Reputation”, which was amazing, and then I went to two

nights in the “Eras” tour here in Denver and I would say, especially for the “Eras” tour, like the

community has just been so like amazing. I've met a bunch of people there, and we all just kind

of have this one thing in common. It's just really fun, like there's not a bad person to talk to at a

Taylor concert. I've never had that. There are also no bad seats in the telescope concert. I've been

in the nosebleeds for 3 out of the 4 shows that I've seen and they're all just like spectacular.

I know it was a while ago, but do you know how much money you spent on the “1989”

tour?

Oh. I don't, I was 9, but we were in like the nosebleeds of it. So, I would say, probably like,

actually, I really have no idea how much they usually go for.

What about “Reputation”?

I don't know those ones. My mom was kind of like the one getting them. So yeah, I'm not sure

for “Reputation”.

And then you mentioned you saw 2 nights of the “Eras” tour. Do you know about how

much money you spent on those?

So the first night we got nose bleeds, and those were $86 each, and there were 3 of us that went,

and then the second night we were in like the upper bowl or like the middle bowl, I guess, and I

want to say they were like $120 per person, cause I got them when I was a part of the

Ticketmaster fiasco. So, there were also girls I talked to, a girl who was like, I have been to

every concert since. “Red” like that's how my friend that I went with was, and I was like she got

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to touch Taylor's hand during “Red”. Wow! I was like, I'll never forgive you. But like I'm so

jealous like that is crazy. But yeah, it was a great it was a great show.

Really is. So how did seeing Taylor Swift live all those times make you feel about her?

Oh, my God! It just makes me feel so like so much and more like she cares about like me as an

individual like she doesn't always know who I am, but like the way that she performs and like

interacts with the crowd. I feel like it just makes it feel like you are each your own individual

person that she's like performing, for so it just feels so like ethereal every single time, like even

the second show at the Eras Tour, I was like freaking out so like I knew all the set lists and all

that kind of stuff. But I was like. it's the way that she interacts with everyone that I love.

How did seeing her live make you feel about seeing her again?

Like if I want to go see her again? Oh yeah, I mean, I'm going to be again staring down

Ticketmaster for 6 hours.

Cool. So now that I know a little more about your relationship to Taylor Swift, I want to

talk about your behavior in the online Swiftly fandom. So, thinking back to like some of

those spaces you mentioned earlier for sure. How do you feel about interacting with people

in those online spaces and like terms of group chats and stuff?

Yeah. I mean, it feels great. I love like that. We all kind of get to talk to each other and be a little

delusional about theories and stuff.

And how would you say those interactions compare to in person interactions with other

Taylor swift fans?

I feel like it's just such a large, like demographic, of people like race, gender, age. I don't really

have that. I'm mostly friends with like college age women that love Taylor Swift. And so, there's

a lot more, I feel like diversity within those online spaces.

I see, are there any behaviors in online fandom communities that you would expect to also

see in in person fandom spaces?

Yeah, I feel like the overall excitement, and like vibe of these group chats, I feel like that would,

if you know, you put all of us together in a room, it would be pretty much the same. just a lot

more like personable instead of like just Taylor Swift news.

And are there any things that you think could only take place in online spaces?

Not that I can really think of, but I might think of something later.

So, when you are communicating with people online through text, so you know, thinking

about Twitter group chats or things like that. What are some things you do to indicate how

you're feeling?

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All caps or I'll be like Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Like exclamation points like rapidly texting.

If you're using all caps, what are you using that to indicate?

That like oh, she's dropping something or like, oh, this crazy thing happened at the show last

night, or like more news about her and Travis like any news that's like huge in the swift

community.

How much time would you say you spend online in Swiftie spaces per week?

I would say, probably about an hour and a half just like seeing TikTok of it, or like texting with

people about it, or all the love?

Like intentional time in Taylor Swift online spaces.

Yeah. Okay? Well, then, I feel like, in that case, probably about like an hour-ish per week. Yeah.

And does that change? If Taylor is releasing something or has just announced something?

Yeah, typically.

Would you say that you spend more time in those spaces if she's announced something?

Yes.

And does the time you spend in those spaces vary at all, based on how much time you have

available?

Yeah, for sure, I'm a pretty busy person. I'm a student, and I have a job. So, I'm not on my phone

like a ton. So yeah, it does kind of depend on how much time I have on my hands.

What motivates you to connect with people online. to connect with other Swifties online?

I feel like it's just like the more the merrier like I love talking with a bunch of people about

things to kind of get everyone's like perspective on it. And it's also just kind of like fun to talk

about. Because if you're both so passionate about something, and it's the same thing, I think it's

just like a lot more fun to interact with people.

Thanks for sharing that. So now we are going to shift a little bit and talk about still staying

in those online spaces. Talk about how you interact with those online? Can you tell me

about an interaction with another Swiftie that you've had online? And if there's a lot you

can just pick one that sticks out to you?

Okay, I think that it would probably who have to be when oh. when she released or when she

announced “1989” Taylor's version, because that was the night like we're all watching this like

grainy live stream, and we're seeing her come out and like a blue speak now dress, and a blue

“1989” outfit and blue “Folklore” outfit. We were all just kind of like what is happening, and so

that entire time. We were just like texting, like all of us are texting like crazy. And with that

interaction. So, they can, thinking of that because I do remember that I was. I actually pulled

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TikTok up on my laptop, but I could have in the background as I was, I had a I had Air Played to

our TV upstairs, and everyone was like, all my roommates are freaking out too

Nice. So, in that moment, what made you want to connect with those Swifties about that?

I feel like it's just because I was sitting there like knowing all of these things. And I'm like. I got

to tell someone like, I have to like to see how everyone else is feeling, too. And being like guys,

am I really like delusional? Or is this totally happening like, just to kind of talk about like this

super exciting moment? I guess it's about to happen.

Yeah. How did you feel about those other Swifties after that interaction?

I would say, I mean, I was just like yeah, like, y'all are great like this is. this is so fun being in a

group show with you guys.

And so, you're in a group chat with these people. You've talked about the “Eras” tour,

“1989” is coming. Very exciting. After that, did you feel motivated to interact with them

again? Like to come back to that group?

Yeah, for sure, cause then when she released the track list or when we had to find out, like the

vault and everything we're all like texting in the group chat still. And then we find out the track

list. It was like, I was like, I got to tell these people.

How do the interactions you have with other Swifties online make you feel about the

fandom?

At least, we just feel good that, like we all have something that we're like so passionate about.

And also, just like I would say, overall, a very friendly, like, loving group of people.

Okay. are there any inside jokes or code words or references that you think only online

Swifties would understand?

Maybe, I'm not sure. I'm thinking of like TPD, like tortured post department and stuff like that.

It's kind of been abbreviated automatically or like yeah, I really can't think of any feel like

everything that you say also kind of like in your daily conversation, if you're talking to a fellow

Swiftie? So then, not just within this with the online fandom. But maybe those who are like in

person fans who don't have an online presence.

Would you say the fandom has its own set of inside jokes or references or codewords?

Oh, yeah, for sure.

And do you feel like you are in on those jokes? And you understand them?

Yeah, definitely.

So how does, being a part of those inside jokes or references make you feel about the

fandom.

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I mean, it makes me feel good. It makes me feel like, oh, we have like our own little secret thing

like. You know, if you're not a Swiftie, you won't necessarily understand. But like I think that

kind of helps you narrow down how much of a Swiftie they are if you're using like bringing up

like old inside jokes and stuff like that

You've touched on this a little bit. But when talking to other Swifties online, what do you

talk about?

Like album drops the track list for her new album like which song you think we're going to like

the most yeah, like, how we think the album is going to sound or like Easter eggs and stuff like

that?

Do you strictly talk about tailor, or do other topics come up?