More than music: Taylor Swift’s engagement breaks the internet
After Taylor Swift announced her engagement to American football star Travis Kelce on Instagram, fans rushed online to share their overwhelming excitement. Experts explain why Swift’s connection with her audience feels so personal and what it reveals about her impact on pop culture today.
American superstar Taylor Swift has become a bigger topic in today’s world of pop culture.
From having the biggest music tour in history, to her recent album announcement, and now the news of her engagement to American football player Travis Kelce. The latter which sent swifties, her fans, into an online frenzy.
Countless fans expressed their joy over the engagement. One TikTok user, @katherinezaino, wrote: “Better than my own engagement.”
Another, @folkloreofmilliebobby, commented on Instagram: “I have not been able to stop crying!”
Many others even shared videos of themselves screaming and crying in reaction to the news.
Pop cultural phenomenon
Taylor Swift’s bond with her fans goes far beyond the music.
According to professor Elly McCauster at Ghent University, many swifties feel as though they are close friends with Swift, making the engagement news deeply personal:
“Her music is like a diary, so her listeners have been there through her emotional journey of going through love and heartbreaks, which offers a deeper insight than with other celebrities,” McCauster says.
“A lot of people feel like she’s a close friend, which makes the news meaningful to them,” she continues.
Professor Paul Booth at DePaul University also explains why Swift’s impact on pop culture makes her engagement especially significant:
”Taylor Swift is undoubtedly a major presence in popular culture; and the fact that so many of her songs are about love or finding relationships makes her own love life of interest," Booth explains.
"She is the uber-celebrity today, dominating the news cycles even outside of her music. It is hard to avoid Taylor Swift.”
