“On the Outside Looking in”
Swifties Reacting to Non-Swifties Reacting to Taylor Swift
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24227432 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elizabeth Wellman (University of North Carolina Wilmington) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-17 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-11 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Popular Music & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0300-7766 • E-ISSN: 1740-1712 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03007766.2026.2747921 |
| OpenAlex | W7221437094 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
This essay analyzes fans’ response to online reaction videos from non-fans listening to Taylor Swift’s music. Extending McDaniel and Warren-Crow’s research on reaction videos as performance, and Morris and Galloway’s research on online Swiftie fan culture, I examine thirty reactors, focusing primarily on self-identified male “outsiders.” Viewers assess a reactor’s perceived attention to detail, emotional authenticity, and respect for the original artist. Swifties not only consume reactions but interpret and reward them through “Swiftvangelism,” strategies designed to convert outsiders. These practices constitute a distinct interpretative subgenre of affective fan labor, forming a parasocial web and offering a perceived discursive justice.
Fandom · Taylor Swift · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Music History and Culture
| Highly cited | No |
|---|