Some of Taylor Swift鈥檚 fans want you to know three things: They鈥檙e not still 16, they have careers and resources and, right now, they鈥檙e angry. That鈥檚 a powerful political motivator, researchers say.
Look what Ticketmaster made them do.
It started Nov. 15, when millions crowded a presale for Swift鈥檚 long-awaited Eras Tour, By Thursday, citing insufficient remaining tickets and inciting a firestorm of outrage from fans. Swift herself said
Ticketmaster apologized but the bad blood had already been sowed. And now fans 鈥� and politicians 鈥� have started acting on it.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez directed Swifties to where they could make U.S. Department of Justice complaints. Multiple 鈥� including in Pennsylvania and Tennessee, key states in Swift鈥檚 origin story 鈥� have announced investigations.
Stephanie Aly, a New York-based professional who has worked on community organizing for progressive politics, for years has thought mobilizing fandoms for social progress could be beneficial.
鈥淔andoms are natural organizers,鈥� said the 33-year-old Swiftie. 鈥淚f you find the right issues and you activate them and engage them then you can effect real change.鈥�
In 2020, for instance, K-pop fans organized to and sought to inflate registration for a Donald Trump rally. Aly and Swifties from different industries 鈥� law, public relations, cybersecurity and more 鈥� have joined forces to create Vigilante Legal, a group targeting Ticketmaster by creating email templates to petition attorneys general and providing antitrust information. Thousands have expressed interest in helping or learning more.
鈥淭he level of anger that you鈥檝e just seen in the country around this issue is astounding,鈥� said Jean Sinzdak, associate director for the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. 鈥淧eople are really sharing their feelings about that and building a movement about that online, which I really think is quite fascinating. It鈥檚 certainly an opportunity to engage people politically. Whether it lasts is hard to say, but it certainly feels like a real opportunity.鈥�
In one way, said Sinzdak, this is giving Swift鈥檚 large following of younger people a direct line to seeing how policy takes shape. It鈥檚 also targeting a demographic that is seldom courted by politicians during election season.
鈥淣obody goes out and thinks, 鈥楲et鈥檚 target young women,鈥欌�� said Gwen Nisbett, a University of North Texas professor who researches the intersection of political engagement and pop culture. 鈥淏e it about abortion or student loans, that age group is super mobilized and young women are super mobilized.鈥�
Fan culture and community has boosted that tendency toward mobilization. Nisbett was studying parasocial relationships 鈥� when fans have strong one-way relationships with celebrities 鈥� in 2018, when the previously apolitical Swift posted an endorsement of Democratic candidates to social media. Nisbett found that while such posts may not determine fans鈥� votes, they still led to the increased likelihood fans would look for more information about voting 鈥� and actually vote.
For the record: an extensive survey of the U.S. electorate, showed about a third of Tennessee voters in 2018 said they had a favorable opinion of Swift, and among them, a large majority 鈥� about 7 in 10 鈥� backed Democrat Phil Bredesen in the Senate contest. That was in clear contrast to the roughly third of voters who had an unfavorable opinion of Swift and overwhelmingly backed Republican Marsha Blackburn.
For Swifties, the ire for Ticketmaster is not just about a ticket: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the fact that you can鈥檛 participate in your community and your fandom and it鈥檚 part of your identity,鈥� Nisbett said.
This isn鈥檛 even the first time a fandom or an artist has targeted Ticketmaster. in 1994, although the to bring a case. More recently, Bruce Springsteen fans were enraged over high ticket costs because of the platform鈥檚 dynamic pricing system.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about getting vengeance for Swifties. It鈥檚 not about getting an extra million Taylor Swift fans tickets, or all of us going to a secret session,鈥� said Jordan Burger, 28, who is using his law background to help the cause. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about fundamental equality. And when you have a monopolist like that, it鈥檚 just so representative of the class structure of a society where there isn鈥檛 equality anymore, there isn鈥檛 fairness.鈥�
The sheer power and size of Swift鈥檚 fandom has spurred conversations about economic inequality, merely symbolized by Ticketmaster.
Aly noted that quite a few of the members of the group did get tickets; the issue is is bigger than Ticketmaster, she said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten some feedback that, 鈥楾his is too big, let the government handle it.鈥� Have you seen the U.S. government? The government only functions when the people push it to and when the people demand that it function and the people are involved,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven when something seems too big to fail or too powerful to fail, there are always enough of us to make a difference. Your involvement may be the thing that pushes it over the edge that forces the government to act.鈥�
Aly says many grown-up Swifties have 10-15 years鈥� experience of being bullied for liking the singer 鈥� but what fans have in mind might be better than revenge.
鈥淲e have thick skin and nothing to lose, really,鈥� Aly said.
鈥擝rooke Schultz, The Associated Press
