Taylor Swift: audience and industries

 Audience

Background and audience wider reading

Read this Guardian feature on stan accounts and fandom. Answer the following questions:

1) What examples of fandom and celebrities are provided in the article?

'Stans' that have been named by the artists such as 'little monsters' for Lady Gaga, 'Bey Hive' for Beyonce, 'Swifties' for Taylor Swift, and 'Barbs' for Nicki Minaj

2) Why did Taylor Swift run into trouble with her fanbase? 

When the presale for Taylor Swift’s tour turned into a battle royale for fans locked out of Ticketmaster’s system, frazzled Swifties voiced their disappointment. Ticketmaster and Swift quickly apologized, with the singer calling the process “excruciating”. Ticketmaster ended up testifying in Congress in a hearing about consolidation in the ticketing industry.

3) Do stan accounts reflect Clay Shirky's ideas regarding the 'end of audience'? How? 

Stan accounts do somewhat reflect Clay Shirky's ideas regarding the 'end of audience' because it aligns with his idea that the 20th century media model has been replaced by a more chaotic landscape that allows consumers to be producers and distributors.

Read this Conversation feature on the economics of Taylor Swift fandom. Answer the following questions: 

1) What do Taylor Swift fans spend their money on? 

Taylor Swift fans spend their money on concert tickets and merchandise such as multiple copies of an album.

2) How does Swift build the connection with her fans? Give examples from the article.

She builds a connection with her fans by interacting with them on social media such as replying to comments, liking comments and responding to fans.

3) What have Swifties done to try and get Taylor Swift's attention online? 

They've tried to get Taylor Swift's attention by posting screenshots of merchandise receipts and pictures of them with multiple copies of albums.

4) Why is fandom described as a 'hierarchy'? 

They are hierarchal structures in which fans have their status elevated by participating in certain ways. For Swifties, these hierarchies are heavily tied to practices of consumption, including the purchasing of concert tickets.

5) What does the article suggest is Swift's 'business model'? 

Swift’s business model is largely built on fan desire to meet her. How do you meet her? You prove you are the biggest fan – and you’ve made the sacrifices (and spent the money) to show it.

Taylor Swift: audience questions and theories

Work through the following questions to apply media debates and theories to the Taylor Swift CSP. You may want to go back to your previous blogpost or your A3 annotated booklet for examples. 

1) Is Taylor Swift's website and social media constructed to appeal to a particular gender or audience?

Taylor Swift's website is somewhat constructed to appeal to a particular gender/audience as it includes general website conventions such as a top menu and a central image.

2) What opportunities are there for audience interaction in Taylor Swift's online presence and how controlled are these? 

There are many chances for fans to interact with Taylor Swift online, such as commenting on posts, sharing fan art, and tagging Taylor Nation on social media. However, these interactions are carefully controlled.

3) How does Taylor Swift's online presence reflect Clay Shirky’s ‘End of Audience’ theories? 

Taylor Swift’s online presence reflects Clay Shirky’s idea of the ‘End of Audience’ because fans are no longer just watching her from a distance. They take part by creating content, sharing theories, and promoting her work online. This links to what i said earlier about stans and the ticketmaster scandals.

4) What effects might Taylor Swift's online presence have on audiences? Is it designed to influence the audience’s views on social or political issues or is this largely a vehicle to promote Swift's work? 

Taylor Swift’s online presence mostly promotes her music, tours, and brand. However, she sometimes uses her platform to share her views on social issues such as women’s rights, equality, and voting

5) Applying Hall’s Reception theory, what might be a preferred and oppositional reading of Taylor Swift's online presence? 

A preferred reading is that Taylor Swift is a genuine and empowering artist who values her fans and uses her fame for positive influence . An oppositional reading is that her online image is carefully controlled for marketing purposes and that her personal connection with fans is part of a strategy to sell more products and tickets.

Industries

How social media companies make money

Read this analysis of how social media companies make money and answer the following questions:

1) How many users do the major social media sites boast?

Meta has 2.96 billion monthly active users. LinkedIn has 900 million, x has 330 million since early 2019

2) What is the main way social media sites make money? 

The main way social media sites make money is by advertising. Companies pay to show their ads to users, the more people use the platform the more the site can make from advertisers

3) What does ARPU stand for and why is it important for social media companies? 

ARPU stands for average revenue per user. It is important because it shows how much money each user generates for the company. Social media companies use ARPU to estimate total revenue and to attract advertisers.

4) Why has Meta spent huge money acquiring other brands like Instagram and WhatsApp? 

Meta spent large amounts of money on its apps to gain more users, more meaning more people to show ads, meaning more money.

5) What other methods do social media sites have to generate income e.g. Twitter Blue? 

Social media sites make money via subscriptions and premium services. E.g Twitter Blue lets users pay for benefits like less ads longer posts and security. More revenue 

Regulation of social media

Read this BBC News article on a report recommending social media regulation. Answer the following questions:

1) What suggestions does the report make? Pick out three you think are particularly interesting. 

Social networks should show a correction to everyone who say a post that was false

Platforms should explain why content is being recommended to each user

Social networks should limit micro targeted advertising and make it illegal to exclude people based on race or religion

2) Who is Christopher Wylie? 

Whistle blower revealing how Cambridge  analytical used millions of Facebook data for political campaigns

3) What does Wylie say about the debate between media regulation and free speech? 

Wylie says that regulating social media does not stop people from speaking freely. Freedom of speech does not mean you have a right to have your message amplified by algorithms.

4) What is ‘disinformation’ and do you agree that there are things that are objectively true or false? 

Disinformation is false or misleading information that is spread intentionally to deceive others e.g COVID vaccine info. Yes there are objectively things that are true, a COVID vaccine exists.

5) Why does Wylie compare Facebook to an oil company? 

Harmful content on the platform is like pollution. The company doesn't profit from it, but the design creates negative effects that have real world consequence.

6) What does it suggest a consequence of regulating the big social networks might be? 

One consequence might be that some people move to niche social medias that promise free speech.

7) What has Instagram been criticised for?

Criticised for affecting mental health and body image. Algorithms show people perfect images creating pressure.

8) Can we apply any of these criticisms or suggestions to Taylor Swift? For example, should Taylor Swift have to explicitly make clear when she is being paid to promote a company or cause? 

Yes some of these ideas can be applied to TS. E,g she should clearly label promoted posts making it clear to fans which prevents misleading or manipulative coercion.