Empowering Identities: The Impact of Taylor Swift's Celebrity Feminism on Fan Communities on Twitter

Siyi Chen; Feiya Shu

doi:10.63313/LLCS.9092

Authors

Siyi Chen The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Author
Feiya Shu The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63313/LLCS.9092

Keywords:

Celebrity Feminism, Twitter Fan Community, Goffman's Dramaturgical Theory, Gender Equality Empowerment, Social Media Interaction

Abstract

This study examines the impact of Taylor Swift’s celebrity feminism on her fan community on Twitter, with a focus on how she uses her celebrity status to empower her fans. By analyzing Taylor’s direct media presentation and interactive activities with fans on Twitter, we reveal Swift’s role in promoting gender equality and shaping community identity.

Based on Erving Goffman’s (1959) on-stage and off-stage theory, this report offers a pioneering understanding of how celebrity feminism empowers fans. It conceptualizes Twitter as a social media platform that serves both as an off-stage supplement to music and stage performances—enhancing fan engagement, bridging the gap between Taylor Swift and her audience, and shaping her public image as a “feminist representative”—and as an on-stage representation of a celebrity woman's public persona and personal life. This duality highlights the commercial nature of social platforms in empowering fans while recognizing that celebrity feminism often functions as a trend rather than genuine activism, thereby raising questions about its authenticity. Existing research on Taylor Swift’s empowerment of fan communities typically focuses on a singular perspective. In contrast, this study incorporates Goffman’s theory and creatively interprets it as a two-level framework, effectively addressing the issue of insufficient depth in previous analyses.

The report uses content analysis as the main method, combined with specific case study, digital ethnography and literature review. Content analysis allows us to understand the impact of content about gender equality and women's empowerment on fans when specifically analyzing the themes and emotions of fan posts. Specific case studies allow us to dig deep into some important events or posts to explore their direct impact on the fan community. Digital ethnography provides us with qualitative insights into the way fans interact on Twitter, helping us understand how they participate in empowerment activities. The use of Goffman's theory and mixed methods provides us with a deep perspective on how Taylor Swift's celebrity feminism shapes the identity of the fan community on Twitter and empowers fans.

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