Taylor Swift Is the Queen of Lurking on Her Fans
There are plenty of fandoms, but the Swifties (fans of Taylor Swift) are certainly amongst the most intense. Throughout the course of her career, Swift has amassed hundreds of millions of fans, and her ways of connecting with them are pretty atypical. Over the years, the “All Too Well” singer has managed to establish connections with her fans in some pretty wild ways, and she doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Taylor Swift interacts with her fans online and offline
Plenty of celebrities interact with their fans on a regular basis, often using social media as a way to share information or gain opinions. For example, Ariana Grande has asked her fans what they thought of her new snippet of a song prior to its release. However, Swift seems to curate experiences for her fans that are extremely unique and elaborate.
The ‘cardigan’ singer admits she’s always lurking on Swifties
Swift hasn’t made it a secret that she’s always keeping her fingers on the pulse of what her fans are saying. While being interviewed on Late Night With Seth Meyers, she openly admitted to this. “I’m always listening, and I’m always lurking,” she revealed. “I’m always listening to their opinions and their theories.” Through her lurking, Swift has been able to create events like Swiftmas and Secret Sessions.
2014 was the year of Swiftmas
Back in 2014, Swift intensely spied on some dedicated fans for months on end. Over time, she amassed details about their likes, dislikes, jobs, etc., which would eventually become known as #TayLurking. The “hoax” singer then went to their respective social media pages and commented with a single Santa emoji. Once done, she used this information to personally shop for them and hand wrap holiday presents for them. She then shipped a large FedEx box filled with presents to their homes.
Swift started Secret Sessions with her album ‘1989’ and continued them with ‘Reputation’
Swift’s 1989 era also marked the beginning of her Secret Sessions. For months, Swift lurked on her fans, specifically selecting those who’d supported her but who had never had the chance to meet her in person. She then had her team reach out, inviting them to top-secret events in the U.S. and the U.K. The events became known as the 1989 Secret Sessions.
Described as “living room parties”, secret sessions consisted of the evermore artist playing her entire album for her fans weeks before it came out. She also baked them cookies, posed for pictures, and spoke about her inspiration behind the album. But, in many cases, Swift was able to take things a step further. Because of her extensive lurking, Swift was able to recognize some fans by name and face, calling out details that she’s learned about them through her research.
How has Swift connected with her fans in recent years?
With the pandemic, Secret Sessions seem to be on hold. However, Swift has still managed to keep up with fans. She frequently interacts with them on TikTok and has even sent healthcare workers on the frontlines care packages in the spirit of Swiftmas. She’s also given money to fans sporadically throughout the past few years, ranging from $1,300 to $13,000. So while Swift’s relationship with her fans may be largely parasocial, it’s clear that she’s not afraid to make them happy with a little stalking of her own.
