Nicola De-Ats
The release of Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, has shown just how toxic fandoms can be as die-hard Swifties fight back against negative reviews.
The album has received high praise from many — Rolling Stone describes it as combining “the intimacy of Folklore and Evermore with the synth-pop gloss of Midnights to create wildly ambitious and gloriously chaotic music.”
Other reviews have been more scathing, including a less-than-glowing Paste Magazine review in which the writer laments, “This is your songwriter of the century? Open the schools.”
However, according to the digital magazine, the reviewer’s name was left off the byline of the review due to fear of the Swiftie community. This decision, made with past incidents in mind, begs the question: Is it ever the artist’s responsibility to control their fans?
Have Taylor Swift Fans Gotten Out Of Control?
When Paste Magazine published a review of Lover in 2019, the author received threats of violence from die-hard Swifties. Shortly after The Tortured Poets Department review was published, a writer who noted she had “nothing to do” with it shared screenshots of snide messages she received from Swifties who were convinced she wrote it.
So, this is weird.
I'm being badgered by harassing Swifties who think I wrote a review I had nothing to do with?
I seldom review music. Also, maybe stop proving the publication's point by looking for someone to attack over a negative write-up? pic.twitter.com/vWQkEFsb7L
— Kayleigh Donaldson (@Ceilidhann) April 19, 2024
Similarly, in 2020, one Folklore reviewer received hexing tweets and death threats despite the review being overwhelmingly positive and giving the album eight out of ten.
Reviews are critical to the music industry, and review culture reflects the pinnacle of free speech. Receiving negative reviews is part of the unwritten contract an artist signs when sharing their work. Ultimately, it’s important that people feel safe to publish their opinions, but some Taylor Swift fans disagree.
Unfortunately, the Taylor Swift fandom has become a vicious breeding ground for bullying and online harassment for anyone who dares to have a different or not-so-positive opinion about the artist.
The Fine Line Between Fandom And Obsession
As someone whose top Spotify artist has been Taylor Swift for the past five years, I would define myself as a pretty hardcore Taylor enthusiast. But when does love for an artist turn into something darker?
Not all Taylor Swift fans are toxic, and it would be unfair to label the whole Swiftie fandom as such. But it cannot be denied that some fans take it too far — whether by harassing her ex’s online, stalking her or leaving death threats to reviewers.
“It cannot and should not ever be an artist’s responsibility to ensure their fans act with basic human decency”
Of course, access to a fandom community and parasocial relationships can have many positive benefits — community, a feeling of connection, and joy. But this is not always the case. Some fans can experience celebrity worship syndrome — a parasocial relationship that occurs when admiration of a celebrity shifts into an obsessive fascination and preoccupation. For some obsessive fans, these interests fill a void in their life, offering a form of escapism.
This can lead to unrealistic expectations and blur the lines between fantasy and reality, resulting in extreme, obsessive and unhealthy behaviour.
Should Taylor Swift Speak Now?
In some ways, Taylor Swift creates a false sense of intimacy with her fandom, which encourages this obsessive behaviour. From dropping ‘Easter eggs’ for fans — hidden teasers for new albums or songs, subtle hints at who a song might be about, to inviting fans to her house for Secret Sessions ahead of album launches, Swift gives the impression that fans know her far better than they do. But any rational individual will understand the limits of this connection.
It cannot and should not ever be an artist’s responsibility to ensure their fans act with basic human decency.
Sending individual death threats simply because you disagree with their opinion about your favourite artist is an extreme form of fandom—an obsession that overlooks basic rationality. It shows a lack of maturity and an inability to tolerate different perspectives, and it would be unfair to hold artists accountable for this.
“these fans need self-accountability and awareness to challenge why they are acting in ways which exceed basic human decency and logic”
Often, this obsessive behaviour has much darker roots as a manifestation of deeper problems individuals are facing — whether they are using their obsession to escape from the issues they face in their day-to-day life or this behaviour stems from mental health challenges.
Even if Taylor Swift had spoken out to condemn fans for this behaviour, it may not have been enough for them to overcome the deeper problems that caused such obsessive behaviour. Instead, these fans need self-accountability and awareness to challenge why they act in ways that exceed basic human decency and logic.
Ultimately, fans need not words of reason from their favourite artist in the form of an Instagram post but, perhaps, therapy.
READ NEXT:
-
THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT IS SWIFTS MOST MASTERFUL WORK TO DATE
-
SINGLE REVIEW: SABRINA CARPENTER’S ‘ESPRESSO’ HAS US WANTING A DOUBLE SHOT
-
GOOD IDEA RIGHT? OLIVIA RODRIGO HANDS OUT CONTRACEPTION
Featured image courtesy of Rosa Rafael on Unsplash. No changes have been made to this image. Image licence found here.
