![]() ![]() The main data consists of our online observations of Swifties on different platform. We want to stress that these interviews are only used to triangulate the main data of our research. Interviewing three people is not a lot and a medium like Messenger is not ideal to conduct such interviews. We are aware of the limitations of our approach. These interviews are conducted through Facebook Messenger. In addition, we received information from the fanpage to gain more inside information about the fandom. And (2) gives insight in a social structure of the group: she can be seen as a master (Becker, 1963). This position as moderator not only gives (1) a broad perspective on the social group: she has knowledge about her own membership of the Swifties and of the behavior and interactions of the different members of the Facebook group. ![]() Another source is Savannah Goodson, moderator of the ‘Taylor Swift’ Facebook group. We conducted one interview via Whatsapp with Hannah Jorissen, who is part of the Swifties fandom. By doing this, we will create a broader perspective on the social group and notice how the group is also influenced and shaped by online platforms in the offline world. By doing this, we will also study the offline perspective of the fandom and not only look at social media accountse. By interviewing some members of the group, we hope to get some more ‘background’ or ‘hidden’ information which we could not have known by simply studying ‘the screen’. The problem with this approach is that we will only see what is on the screen, and this can be misleading (Varis, 2014). As stated before, we have to study digital environments in order to understand the functioning of this group. ![]() The Swifties mainly communicate and operate in the digital world, embedded in infrastructuresĪnother important way in which we will gather our data is by conducting interviews with members of the Swifties. In this case, the online and offline world are very closely connected and there is barely any barrier between the two. Many members of the group know each other due to their digital communication, by which their offline practice is shaped, because they met on the internet. As the second part of the definition already indicates, the offline practices of the Swifties are also influenced and maybe even shaped by digitalization. “ Digital ethnography is research on online practices and communication, and on offline practices shaped by digitalisation ” (Varis, 2014). Our field of research will therefore mainly be an online field. We will analyse this group on digital platforms, and focus on their behavior, communication and their activities on these platforms. More in particular, we will focus on the fact that identity and behavior is always embedded in infrastructures (Maly, 2017). The sphere in which the fandom operates will be our main source of information. In order to research this social group, digital ethnography is required, since the members of the group mainly operate and communicate online. It is a fact that contemporary fandom is largely an online affair (as fig 1 nicely illustrates) and this is also the case with the Swifties. However, could there be more to it? Are there more rules for being a Swiftie than simply liking her music? When can you call yourself a ‘Swiftie’? These kinds of questions are the ones we will try to answer in this article.ĭue to digital developments, the functioning of and communication within fandoms has changed. They show this by making social media accounts for her, creating YouTube videos, sending fan art etc. So, what makes them different from other social groups? Obviously, their love for Taylor. When you think of a fan of Taylor’s, you might imagine a young girl, who sings along to all the songs. Taylor’s fans call themselves Swifties, and their being a social group is the subject of this analysis. To be such an influencing icon she must have a pretty dedicated fandom, which she definitely does.įigure 1. Eleven years later, she is still a big part of the pop music scene, with her new single already breaking records, reaching nineteen million views in just one day. It didn’t take her very long to become a strong force in today’s pop culture. She was, an instant success, with her first album reaching 39.000 sales in just one week. The twenty-seven-year-old has already been around for quite some time, with her first album being released in 2006, when she was just sixteen. When you turn on the radio, there is a pretty big chance you will come across a song from Taylor Swift, one of today’s biggest recording artists. This article will provide an introduction to the Swifties and its functioning and will connect the group to important themes such as superdiversity and neoliberalism. The Swifties are the loyal fanbase behind her and they can be considered a social group. Taylor Swift has been known as an artist for a long time. ![]()
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