So what’s interesting about this is that BoxOfficeTheory, a forum that I participate in and have for years, was the first place to break the news of the concert film happening. And they were also...
So what’s interesting about this is that BoxOfficeTheory, a forum that I participate in and have for years, was the first place to break the news of the concert film happening. And they were also really early on this being potentially the highest opening weekend of the year.
Swifties have been entering the forum and also the box office subreddit to do their fan schtich, including starting flame wars with Adele fans for no reason.
With this and Barbie it truly has been white girl 2023. To copy the immortal words of Chet Hanks.
I've never been able to understand any of that sort of mentality. It's weird to me when people pick something they're a fan of and make it their whole personality. I've known people who played DND...
I've never been able to understand any of that sort of mentality.
It's weird to me when people pick something they're a fan of and make it their whole personality. I've known people who played DND 5 nights a week with different groups, people who are obsessed with "the Snyderverse is good actually" and all this other stuff. It just feels like Taylor Swift somehow ended up with the largest dedication of fans like that.
Couple of reasons behind it: Live shows do hit different psychologically. People do feel more engaged and included and inspired. Interestingly, religions have been employing this for a long, long,...
Exemplary
Couple of reasons behind it:
Live shows do hit different psychologically. People do feel more engaged and included and inspired. Interestingly, religions have been employing this for a long, long, long time more than the music industry. The pop genre has especially perfected it, every major pop star has their version of Swifties who are no less relentless: the Barbz, the Beehive, Little Monsters, Beliebers, and more. If you're a fan of these acts, and you attend their live performances with a massive crowd for likeminded fans, it's easy to feel like you're part of something.
Taylor Swift engages with her fans heavily. Easter eggs, fireside chats, gift exchanges, and more. There are stories of her doing things without any PR or press coverage for fans. She keeps up with the memes and jokes, and participates in good faith and with good nature. She has had a longlasting and very good relationship with her fans that actually blurs the line of parasocialism more than even most YouTube stars.
Her lyrics are deeply personal. She writes all her own songs. And the feelings and sentiments she writes are, and have been, relevant for over a decade now. Combined with what is built in 1 and 2, this basically comes together to make her songs deeply personal for her fans as well, and consequently they would be attached and, more notably, protective of Swift herself.
Wild as this may be on first blush, I think it's true: Taylor Swift has been attacked from more sides than most other people, from the quality of her music to her status as a star to her net worth, to that entire kerfuffle with Kanye and Kim Kardashian, to the right wing media including US Senators going after her. Unlike a lot of pop stars who have gotten into beefs and conflicts willingly (Nicki Minaj, most notably), Taylor Swift almost never goes on the offensive and never states targets. But the opportunities to defend her are still endless for whatever the raisons du jour are.
All of these things come together to create the intensity that is the Swifties. But they're also rather harmless and less insane and hostile than the Beehive or the Barbz, and they're used to people just simply shit-talking Taylor Swift all the time so they're not jumping out in full force every time she's insulted at least.
They do feel incentivized (parasocially) to make sure their "team" has the most success and accolades ever but this is what pop music has been building up to since the 2000s, arguably starting with Kanye West's repeated and insisted claims to being the "voice of a generation" and the undisputed best ever, etc. There's been some fascinating thoughts on Nicki Minaj and other female rappers as a result of this. Swifties are some of the most visible because Taylor Swift actually is insanely successful but sometimes this makes for some fun upsets, like when my boys Tool took the number 1 album spot away and the Swifties were very confused about why "dad rock" was so popular that weekend.
But as for Taylor Swift's success: she's been making huge hits for 17 years now and been writing her own music the whole time. I can't help but respect that a lot personally, no matter what my thoughts on her music are. She's displayed better and more natural longevity at the top of the charts than almost every other musical act ever, including pop legends. If she hasn't earned her success in this industry, I don't know who has.
well since you mentioned DnD, I can tangent it into video games. I guess it's as simple as "I spend a lot of my time doing this and thinking about this, and gained a lot of tribal knowledge from...
I've never been able to understand any of that sort of mentality.
well since you mentioned DnD, I can tangent it into video games. I guess it's as simple as "I spend a lot of my time doing this and thinking about this, and gained a lot of tribal knowledge from it". And of course you can join communities and make friends through the common interest. So it makes sense. My friend met his wife and quite a few people he invited to his wedding through the MMO Final Fantasy 14, so it makes sense that that is an important part of his life.
Of course what I don't understand is the tribalism behind it, outside of the obvious psychological ones. Adele vs. Swift, odd but inevitable. Swift vs. DnD... why are apples and oranges fighting? That's certainly an odd kind of in-fighting the internet further enabled. But I guess it also isn't a new thing for people to belittle others on some facade that X is more prestigious than Y. even if they are barely related.
So what’s interesting about this is that BoxOfficeTheory, a forum that I participate in and have for years, was the first place to break the news of the concert film happening. And they were also really early on this being potentially the highest opening weekend of the year.
Swifties have been entering the forum and also the box office subreddit to do their fan schtich, including starting flame wars with Adele fans for no reason.
With this and Barbie it truly has been white girl 2023. To copy the immortal words of Chet Hanks.
It boggles my mind the amount of money it's expected to make. I've never understood the "Swifty" cult.
I've never been able to understand any of that sort of mentality.
It's weird to me when people pick something they're a fan of and make it their whole personality. I've known people who played DND 5 nights a week with different groups, people who are obsessed with "the Snyderverse is good actually" and all this other stuff. It just feels like Taylor Swift somehow ended up with the largest dedication of fans like that.
Couple of reasons behind it:
Live shows do hit different psychologically. People do feel more engaged and included and inspired. Interestingly, religions have been employing this for a long, long, long time more than the music industry. The pop genre has especially perfected it, every major pop star has their version of Swifties who are no less relentless: the Barbz, the Beehive, Little Monsters, Beliebers, and more. If you're a fan of these acts, and you attend their live performances with a massive crowd for likeminded fans, it's easy to feel like you're part of something.
Taylor Swift engages with her fans heavily. Easter eggs, fireside chats, gift exchanges, and more. There are stories of her doing things without any PR or press coverage for fans. She keeps up with the memes and jokes, and participates in good faith and with good nature. She has had a longlasting and very good relationship with her fans that actually blurs the line of parasocialism more than even most YouTube stars.
Her lyrics are deeply personal. She writes all her own songs. And the feelings and sentiments she writes are, and have been, relevant for over a decade now. Combined with what is built in 1 and 2, this basically comes together to make her songs deeply personal for her fans as well, and consequently they would be attached and, more notably, protective of Swift herself.
Wild as this may be on first blush, I think it's true: Taylor Swift has been attacked from more sides than most other people, from the quality of her music to her status as a star to her net worth, to that entire kerfuffle with Kanye and Kim Kardashian, to the right wing media including US Senators going after her. Unlike a lot of pop stars who have gotten into beefs and conflicts willingly (Nicki Minaj, most notably), Taylor Swift almost never goes on the offensive and never states targets. But the opportunities to defend her are still endless for whatever the raisons du jour are.
All of these things come together to create the intensity that is the Swifties. But they're also rather harmless and less insane and hostile than the Beehive or the Barbz, and they're used to people just simply shit-talking Taylor Swift all the time so they're not jumping out in full force every time she's insulted at least.
They do feel incentivized (parasocially) to make sure their "team" has the most success and accolades ever but this is what pop music has been building up to since the 2000s, arguably starting with Kanye West's repeated and insisted claims to being the "voice of a generation" and the undisputed best ever, etc. There's been some fascinating thoughts on Nicki Minaj and other female rappers as a result of this. Swifties are some of the most visible because Taylor Swift actually is insanely successful but sometimes this makes for some fun upsets, like when my boys Tool took the number 1 album spot away and the Swifties were very confused about why "dad rock" was so popular that weekend.
But as for Taylor Swift's success: she's been making huge hits for 17 years now and been writing her own music the whole time. I can't help but respect that a lot personally, no matter what my thoughts on her music are. She's displayed better and more natural longevity at the top of the charts than almost every other musical act ever, including pop legends. If she hasn't earned her success in this industry, I don't know who has.
Broad appeal among a large demographic.
well since you mentioned DnD, I can tangent it into video games. I guess it's as simple as "I spend a lot of my time doing this and thinking about this, and gained a lot of tribal knowledge from it". And of course you can join communities and make friends through the common interest. So it makes sense. My friend met his wife and quite a few people he invited to his wedding through the MMO Final Fantasy 14, so it makes sense that that is an important part of his life.
Of course what I don't understand is the tribalism behind it, outside of the obvious psychological ones. Adele vs. Swift, odd but inevitable. Swift vs. DnD... why are apples and oranges fighting? That's certainly an odd kind of in-fighting the internet further enabled. But I guess it also isn't a new thing for people to belittle others on some facade that X is more prestigious than Y. even if they are barely related.