Taylor Swift's Online Presence

How does TS use features on her online media to promote her brand?

• Hyperlinks for ‘shop now!’ and exclusive sales show that her website has been commercialised.

• The overall choice to centralise her online presence around her latest album confirms her status as a commodity and a symbol of her work.

• Top-left corner of her website displays her name and logo.

• The TTPD section as the main page includes an image that invites the viewer into an intimate space, offering insight into her personal life and establishing a para-social relationship.

• A link to Disney+ for her Eras Tour Movie demonstrates media convergence.

• She shows her involvement with US politics by tagging Donald Trump in the post where she criticises his politics as well as replying to a post by Michelle Obama regarding recent political discourse on Twitter. Here, she appeals to fans’ beliefs and values and reinforces the tone of her fanbase.

What effect do her Live performance posts have?

After finishing the shows in each city, Taylor posts a summary of the best moments such as surprise guests, new outfits, and picturesque moments that stand out or embody the aesthetic of the Eras Tour. The pictures highlight her stage presence and energy while performing. E.G, the Edinburgh post on 10/6/24. The shots are planned and crafted to evoke awe and excitement from the view. By posting on an accessible page that can be viewed over and over again, the excitement of the show is preserved for those who went to see her perform and anticipation is built for those who are going to see her on tour.

How do features of her website encourage audience participation?

• A sign-up section for a newsletter gives her audience a direct insight into her work and an exclusivity of her fans’ existence as they are the first of many to be made aware of an upcoming music video or sign-ups for pre-sales.

• Her social media pages are linked at the bottom of the website, a form of direct address to engage the audience and draw them to other aspects of her online presence.

• Sign-ups for exclusive offers.

• Buttons pop-up for users to click to vote for Taylor as their favourite female artist during award seasons, E.G. the fan voted MTV awards

In terms of Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, how does TS display her gender identity?

• Taylor demonstrates her control of her gender expression through her MV ‘The Man’ - she controls her appearance to look like a stereotypical working boss-man.

• She bypasses the stability of her hyper-feminine performance and enters a hyper-masculine performance that symbolically embodies the negative behaviours of men in power.

• She continues to confirm her identity as female (“If I was a man, then I’d be The Man”) to convey her frustration with the restrictions women must face in many industries

• This ‘male version’ of herself conveyed through her appearance establishes her ability to switch her expression of gender in her work while simultaneously recognising her inability step outside of her gender expression in reality through the lyrics: (“I’d be a b**** not a baller, they’d paint me out to be bad so it’s okay that I’m mad…wonder if i’d get there quicker if I was a man”).

In what ways do Van Zoonen’s arguments in her Feminist theory apply to TS’s online presence?

• TS is vocal in her ideas, actively defying the patriarchal standards of women who are kept silent.

• She is competing in male dominating fields - can actively break free from old stereotypes and acquire social and economic power.

• Her music is largely male-centric but attempts to distance herself from this representation.

• Taylor’s beauty is largely hyper-feminine as it conforms to hegemonic/stereotypical ideas of femininity by western beauty standards. This is especially inviting for the male gaze and creates a similar aesthetic for her audience to engage in, which is arguably problematic as the male-gaze as a largely patriarchal lens that is degrading towards women and lends to women’s ‘promiscuity’ - encouraging this does not reflect well on Taylor who is known for being empowering towards women and girls of all ages.

Does TS conform to stereotypes?

• Yes: She is often presented in a mainstream, palatable form of femininity through ‘girl next door’, ‘southern belle’ stereotypes of a young girl and the glam, energetic female pop-star stereotype.

• No: She empowers women in her music and uses linguistic codes of informality such as in the Eras Tour (“Hi I’m Taylor!”). She rerecords her albums and writes the majority of her songs herself, asserting herself as singer, songwriter and business woman of her brand. By doing this she challenges the media’s control of her narrative, which can be most evidently seen in her album ‘reputation’ which is driven by the reclamation of her ‘villainous’ persona as a result of negative views towards her.

How does TS overall present herself as?

A mix of a friendly and recognisable person, as seen in her informal address, engagement with nostalgia and the female experience, and her representation as the ‘girl next door’, and a talented and serious business woman, which can be seen in the consistent representation of style and formality in on her online platforms, the ‘Directed Projects’ section of her website and her online advocacy for gender equality and equal rights for people of different ethnicities (DT post).

How does TS fulfil the Uses and Gratifications of her audience?

• Information about upcoming tour dates, album releases and ways to vote for her are readily available for fans on her website.

• Personal Identity: Her lyricism and songwriting provide stories and aesthetics with experiences that viewers can resonate with and discuss with eachother. E.G. The premier of her MV for ‘willow’: “Tonight the story continues, as the music video for ‘willow’ drops at midnight eastern…”, her followers experienced watching the MV in real time with fellow fans and with Taylor just before the viewing. This sort of live interaction with Taylor creates a strong sense of community among fans and makes them feel part of a larger movement or story.

• Entertainment: dissecting her songwriting, watching interviews, BTS content and her documentaries, seeing posts about her shows and announcements, easter eggs: that fans can solve puzzles and clues regarding her newest projects. This playful engagement with her audiences reinforces this sense of community that she has established since her career’s birth: “I’m a fan of the fans.”

• Fans have the opportunity to comment under posts and discuss theories about new songs, decode easter eggs, and express their opinions of new songs or albums.

What could Gerbner say about TS’s online presentation of her values and beliefs?

Gerbner’s Cultivation theory argues that the media influences our perception of the world when used for a prolonged period of time. Heavy users of social media who follow TS will begin to align their values and attitudes with hers.

How does Clay Shirky’s end of audience theory apply to TS’s online presence?

• Her fans use their cognitive surplus to build their own fansites and fangroups where they can upload images, share experiences and discuss the singer’s performances.

• Her fans become prosumers, for example remixes of her music and compilations of their favourite moments.

• Their interaction with Taylor is slightly limited in her self-regulation. The audience is restricted in their ability to comment under her posts and DM her on her online platforms, which maintains the audience’s role and gives her complete control over the conversation on her platforms. This is also done to avoid negative discussions and spam on Instagram which is so often used for direct interaction.

• The audience on Youtube is perhaps more focussed on her music so comments are left open and commentors react moresore to her work rather than her personal life. This also could be a way to boost engagement metrics and maintain her profile on the platform.

How does she use her online media to maximise profits?

• Pinned posts on her social media platforms directs her audience to new albums or products with links and tags included

• Her website is commodified with her albums taking up the majority of her online platforms’ presence. This intends to make her audience think about her latest album.

• Her website also offers exclusives and collectors items to encourage purchases (Hesmondhalgh + articificial scarcity)

• She is signed to Universal Media Group, a conglomerate company that has a large reach across online media channels to promote TS. They can support the possibility for her to explore other opportunities such as acting and directing.

What is Hesmondhalgh’s concept of artificial scarcity?

• Hesmondhalgh says that “firms have to achieve the scarcity that gives value to goods by limiting access to cultural goods and services by artificial means.”

• Taylor creates a sense of urgency in her products by limiting the time fans have available to purchase goods. For example, variant versions of her TTPD vinyl records feature an extra song not included in the main album, however these are only available for a short time (can be hours, days or weeks)

How is her activism problematic?

• Her role as a pop star and activist was first cemented in her 2019 ‘Lover’ album which used political activism as a part of its aesthetic, as seen in the songs “The Man” and “You Need to Calm Down”.

• Many believe she owes it to her fans to use her platform for activism as she is so involved with her fans’ love for her.

• Others feared her activism was just a temporary marketing ploy for the ‘Lover’ album, such as her promotion of the petition for the Equality Act she has established on change.org and her donations to charities and organisations who support those in the LGBTQ+ community in need (As seen at the end of the YNTCD MV: “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally.”)

• She is accused for selective activism: People have noticed her speaking out when she feels targeted but not for industry-wide or nation-wide issues regarding unlawful behaviour or people of colour.

How many followers does she have on Instagram?

283 million

How many followers does she have on TikTok?

33 Million

How many followers does she have on Twitter (X)?

95 Million

How many followers does she have on Facebook?

80 Million

How does TS use colour schemes to promote her brand?

Colour schemes and aesthetics change on each page of her albums, which demonstrates her range of creativity and redefinition as an artist. The aesthetics become more mature and solemn as she gets older. For example, the TTPD section is monochrome, connoting formality and a classical aesthetic as well as a melancholy and sadness, which reflects the album’s tone.

What is bell hooks’ theory of intersectionality?

Bell hooks recognises that social classifications such as race, gender, sexual identity and class are interconnected, and that ignoring their intersection creates oppression and inequality.

How does bell hooks’ theory of intersectionality apply to TS’s online presence, specifically in terms of her privilege as a white woman?

• TS is a privileged white woman and benefits from the privilege that she holds in this cultural position where whiteness in centred and celebrated. Her success can be argued to be attributed to how her identity aligns with the societal norms of beauty, innocence and relatability. Her dominance in pop and country music exemplifies how her whiteness continues to be a privileged position in entertainment.

• Her ability to control her narrative such as rerecording albums and challenging the powers of the music industry reflects class privilege as access to these resources are not equally available for WOC

How does bell hooks’ theory of intersectionality apply to TS’s online presence, specifically in terms of patriarchal structures and victimhood?

• Bell hooks’ concept of ‘imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.

• TS’ navigation of a male dominated industry is publicly discussed in the ways she has been marginalised by powerful male figures (Scooter Braun, Kanye West). Her ability to challenge patriarchal structures and move into more assertive and self-empowered images is framed within a system that still upholds white, affluent women as ‘safe’ and ‘acceptable’ voices of feminist resistance, leaving less space for marginalised women.

How does bell hooks’ theory of intersectionality apply to TS’s online presence, specifically in terms of ‘white feminism’?

• TS has been accused of advocating in a ‘white feminism’ way that lacks an intersectional approach as she advocates for gender equality that is central to her personal experiences without addressing broader issues affecting, for example, women of colour or LGBTQ+ communities.

• Her MV’s and media presence predominantly feature imagery and narratives that align with a white, western ideal of femininity. Critics note how this representation can overshadow or exclude diverse perspectives, reinforcing dominant ideologies instead of challenging them.

How does bell hooks’ theory of intersectionality apply to TS’s online presence, specifically in terms of cultural hegemony and resistance?

• She aligns with the hegemonic ideal of a ‘good girl’ particularly during her country music era, which is palatable within patriarchal and white supremacist frameworks and their heavily traditional notions of femininity, purity and innocence.

• Her whiteness and economic privilege continues to allow the reinforcement of her as a "safe” feminism icon.

• However she challenges norms through advocacy for artists’ rights, criticism of industry practices and her political stances on issues like LGBTQ+ rights and sexism.

• Bell hooks may argue that these actions are impactful but individualistic rather than revolutionary as she works in existing structures rather than dismantling them.

How does bell hooks’ theory of intersectionality apply to TS’s online presence, specifically in terms of the commodification of feminism?

Bell Hooks critiques the commodification of feminism where feminist ideals are often diluted into marketable narratives. Taylor’s embrace of feminism in her later career could be seen as a part of this trend as feminism is tied to her brand in the form of empowerment in her music, merchandise and public appearances. While this does spread feminist ideas, it risks reducing feminism to a personal and consumeristic endeavour rather than addressing systemic inequalities.

How is her informal communication to fans significant?

A para-social relationship and friendliness is established: Sharing a personal picture of herself as a child on her thirtieth birthday followed by the caption “Who’s going to tell her she’s thirtay now?” - We become Taylor’s ‘friend’ who is looking through her childhood photos, breaking the barrier between her public identity and private world to make her more relatable and identifiable to her audience. The inside joke of ‘thirtay’ further displays informality and playfulness.

Does TS engage in political discourse? (example)

Endorsing Kamala Harris on her social media pages, labelling herself as a ‘Crazy Cat Lady’ (a term DT used to describe KH during the course of the election) - Taylor appeals to the beliefs and values of a portion of her fans, while simultaneously alienating the fans who are in support of DT.

What is Judith Butler’s theory of performativity?

Judith Butler argues that gender is not a stable, binary, inherent or a fixed essence, but rather a social construct that is constantly produced and reproduced through repeated acts and behaviours. She also argues that there is no inherent gender identity behind the expression of gender, that performativity is not a singular act but a repetition or ritual, and that identity is a performativity constructed by the very ‘acts’ or ‘expressions’ that are thought to be its results.

What is Van Zoonen’s Feminist theory?

Leisbet Van Zoonen argues that the media reinforces dominant patriarchal ideologies in the degradation and objectification of women and the uplifting of men. She also argues that gender’s meaning varies according to cultural and historical contexts.

What is Katz’ theory of Uses and Gratifications?

Katz discovered from his research with other social scientists that media consumption is motivated by multiple things: Personal Identity, Information, Entertainment, and Interaction and Social integration.