![]() ![]() ![]() “People like Beyoncé make a name for themselves by seeming almost out of reach. But the parasocial relationship she’s cultivated with her fans feels distinctly different than the one someone like Beyoncé, a star of similar wattage, has inspired among the Beyhive. Swift, of course, isn’t the only modern-day pop star with a hyper-dedicated fanbase. “She gives away just enough of herself for the fans to feel a level of intimacy with her and feel that they know enough to ‘know’ that her music is authentic,” the professor told HuffPost. Kurtin, a professor of communication studies at California State University, Los Angeles, who studies PSRs. “She’s a genius at all this,” said Kate S. With Swift, her early image was largely built on the feeling that she could be your friend. In her almost two-decade career, Swift has invited fans over to her house for listening parties (complete with homemade cookies!), commented on their social media posts and regularly had her mother pick fans out of the audience to meet her at concerts. When you’re in a parasocial relationship with a pop star or YouTube personality, you feel as though the person could almost be your friend. Parasocial relationships, or PSRs, are one-sided relationships formed when a person becomes emotionally attached to a media persona. So why are fans ― and even gossip-following non-fans ― so caught up in who Swift dates? A lot of it has to do with how Swift has famously incorporated her dating history into her lyrics: Is this song about John Mayer? Was that another reference to Jake Gyllenhaal?īut the pop culture scholars we spoke to said the answer goes deeper than that: The revealing lyrics help, but the “Anti-Hero” singer is also operating at “genius” levels when it comes to cultivating authentic-feeling parasocial relationships with fans. Taylor Swift is a “genius” at cultivating “parasocial relationships.” Whatever the reason, fans are relieved: “MATTY AND TAYLOR BREAKUP IVE BEEN PRAYING FOR DAYS LIKE THESE!” and “nature is healing” were typical responses across Twitter. But given Swift’s tightly controlled image, you can’t help but wonder if PR concerns over fans’ outrage may have played a part in the relationship ending, too. ![]() Many think-pieces and indignant Twitter threads later, TMZ reported that Swift and her internet edge lord boyfriend had called it quits after just one month of dating.Ī source told Entertainment Tonight that they split over their “extremely busy” schedules and incompatibility. Others launched a social media campaign - #SpeakUpNow - requesting that Swift give “more than a simple apology” for the bigoted remarks that Healy had made in the past. In response to the rumored romance, some Swifties posted lengthy Twitter threads justifying their attendance (or refusal to attend) Swift’s current tour. ![]() He also said he masturbated to Black women being “brutalized.” Though the two musicians never confirmed their relationship, Healy was spotted at multiple shows on Swift’s tour, and the two were photographed holding hands. At her May 20 concert in Boston, the “ Midnights” singer even told the crowd, “ I’ve just never been this happy in my life, in all aspects of my life, ever.”īut fans were a lot less happy, quickly digging up the 1975 frontman’s February appearance on the “The Adam Friedland Show” in which he laughed as the hosts called rapper Ice Spice a “chubby Chinese lady” and mimicked Chinese accents. In May, Swift appeared to have started dating Matty Healy, the lead singer of the 1975, after ending her six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn. The pop star thrilled Swifties with her sold-out Eras Tour while majorly disappointing many of them with her questionable choice in men. It’s been a rollercoaster of a month for Taylor Swift fans. ![]()
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